The Shots to Keep May Start to Fleet: Picking Up Pieces
by Erinette
Summary: Imagine, seven whole years and this is what I get? Gah! I still do have the good parts in life-I'm a freelance photographer, I have cured out of my bipolarity and most of all, I'm free from having a girlfriend. But crossing paths with an ex? No way. This was not part of the plan. My blood boils but my heart thumps but not of love-of hate. (Sequel to TStKMStF: Before She Left)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! I suppose all of you waited long enough for this sequel! Oh my, the drama! This one contains a lot more, I guess. Guess what? I originally planned to make you guys wait for more than 4 years so you'd feel like you're in Hideo's place and all that. I'm just kidding, of course ^.^ Haha! Anyways, it has been a month and you know what? I already have 3 chappies in store for you! Even so, don't be afraid to give suggestions and comments about what you'd expect later on in the story. I cannot assure you whether or not Hideo and Mio will get along. Oh ho ho! The agony!~ Without further ado, please enjoy! I love you guys! Don't forget to rate, review, fave, etc! 3**

* * *

The First Piece:That Thing Called Fate

_2 Years after the 5th Year of Separation_

"And cut! Good job, guys! Hey cameraman, I need to talk to you."

"Yes sir!" I ran toward the director as I ran my fingers through my newly-dyed blonde locks. Heh, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself, I am Akihiko Hideo, 22 and a half years of age. I am a freelance photographer but now I am working as a cameraman for this film. It just ended, though. Well, what can you expect from a guy who finished a course on photography and film? Yeah, I admit I am cockier than I was some years ago but hey, at least my bipolarity's dealt with...I guess.

"Young man, you're doing a marvelous job. If you don't mind, would you help me out on my next project?"

"A pleasure, Sir. I know I could make adjustments," I replied as I glanced over behind him. The lead girl blew a kiss at my direction and even winked at me. She mouthed something like, "Call me," or whatever that was. Hn, apparently chicks dig me. Heh, that makes me want to laugh. I'll never take another relationship seriously. After what happened years ago? No way. I do hang with some of them from time to time but no kissing on the lips. Visions of my ex—my only ex and probably the only one there'll ever be—flash in my head whenever I attempt to kiss a girl. But believe me, I had already moved on. I smirked and put on my eyeglasses. I do wear contacts more often but it still feels more comfortable when I have my glasses on.

"That's great to hear! I'll be calling you in a few."

He left and the girl whose name I have actually forgotten walked up to me, "Hii-san, would you like to join us later? Dinner and a sesh with me?"

"Can't, uh,—"

"Saaya. Gosh, we were like classmates in high school. Uh! You're disappointing. You do look better and act better now."

Oh, yeah, I used to call her Fushi**y-san. None of what she did matters now because that girl isn't part of my life anymore. I was stupid to think that there'll ever be hope for me to be together with a high-maintenance girl. Crepes, I'm thinking of her again. I have to focus in the present.

"I really don't care anymore. Well, see you," I walked away even if I heard her start ramblimg about how I should consider her to be my girl this time now that I've become 'hot' as she says. I walked until I reached my car door. I looked at my reflection as I took of my eyeglasses. I wore blue contacts today which were in perfect contrast with my blonde hair. I do want to consider other hair colors soon. As I looked at how my appearance has matured, I can say I look somewhat the same. My jaw became more evident, though. Aside from that, I became a bit buff with all my gym work. I did not intend to look buff but I needed to get stronger in order to ensure my safety whenever I take pictures in the field. Imdo more studio shots but I go to the wild whenever there's time.

I entered my car. Locked the doors. Put my seatbelt on. I'm all set. All there's left to do is start the engine with my keys. I looked over to my right first which made me yell. "What you thiught you saw a ghost?"

"What the heck are you doing here. You almost scared the crepes out of me!"

"Love me," she threw herself at me. This isn't the first time Fushi*ty tried to do this but now she waited for me to lock the doors and strap myself in my seatbelt before attacking. Pretty smart for someone as desperate as her.

"I'll never do that, you know."

"Why? Because all of you still belongs to Akiyama-senpai after all those years?"

"You know I don't like talking about that girl."

"Exactly."

I just remained quiet and stared at my car's ceiling as she started kissing me all over except for my face. She unbuttoned my top and licked from my abdomen to my neck. Ew. Yuck, just plain yuck. I couldn't help but allow her to since she brought my mood down.

"Just go away, Fushi**y"

"Are you not enjoying this?"

"Not even a single bit. You're just like a stray dog. Aside from that, you do know that you were the cause that my best friend Shiki stopped speaking to me."

Yes, Shiki was out of my reach too. A lot can happen in those years. I got so depressed two years ago that almost the same scenario of today happened then. Shiki thought I was stealing his girl but she just did the exact same thing as she did today. Shiki broke up with her and Kami knows where he may be right now.

"Just imagine that I am that girl."

"Okay then. I hate you. Get out of my life, old hag."

"H-How rude!" she said before fixing herself up with tears welling up in her eyes. She exited my car and ran away as if there's no tomorrow. I banged my head on the steering wheel. The loud sound of the car horn almost wrecked my eardrums completely but I don't mind. I felt someone tap my shoulder and say, "Hideo-kun?" It was a very feminine voice. I looked up to find a pregnant blonde-haired woman. Her hair was only up to her shoulders and her eyebrows compliments her hair color. She smiles sweetly at me then gives a slight bow. With the side-parted wavy hair cut short, I almost didn't recognize her. The baby bump adds to that too. Her sundress sways with the wind slightly, giving an image of a beautiful, elegant woman. She holds her hat in place as the wind blew.

"Kotobuki-san...?" she giggled slightly as she heard that.

"Yes, it is me but now I'm Yamaguchi Tsumugi. It does rhyme, still," she held her cheek as a blush rose to her face. A wedding ring shone brilliantly as the sun's rays directed at her.

"So I see your married now and a soon-to-be mother, too?"

"Indeed, I got married to my former butler. I believe you had met him already, yes?"

"You mean..The one from the trip."

"Yes it was him. We are just of the same age and we've been together for as long as I can remember. The whole of my existence, perhaps?"

"I see. So how are things going? Need a ride? We could stop by somewhere to eat if you want."

"Things are pleasant and joyful, Hideo-kun. Don't mind me, I'm going to be fine. But since I do have some issues to discuss with you, I'll come with you. I have brought some cake actually, it was supposed to be for.." she glanced towards another direction. Ah..

"She's back, huh? If you don't mind, then, please don't bring up that woman. Thanks for the cake, though, but I'm good, there's no need to give me anything."

Kotobuki-san's face was a blank stare but she tried her best to smile then nodded. I got out of my car and led her towards the other door. I opened the door for her and assisted her before heading to my own. When I started driving, she finally spoke, "Glad to see you grew up to be a fine young gentleman, Hideo-kun."

"U-Uh, thanks, Kotobuki-san. What did you want to talk about, exactly?"

"I'll just skip the first part for your sake. Hideo-kun, it's been so long since we last saw each other. We have some catching up to do but before that, you were the first person that popped into my head when Kiri, my husband, asked me for a great photographer. I've heard you're going big-time now, Hideo-kun. We need someone to shoot for the opening of our new business."

"It'll be my pleasure to do so, Kotobuki-san...By the way, where do want to go?"

"I do have to be home soon but if you don't mind, would it be okay if we go to her house?"

"I... Sure. Is it still the same place?"

"Oh yes but to be exact, it's the house almost directly across it. She was able to buy it for her own. She has become independent and her parents allowed her to move but said it was either beside or across."

"Okay."

"You don't have to get down in the car, Hideo-kun. I just need assistance because my baby boy started kicking. I just left the house without informing anybody."

* * *

We arrived at that woman's house. Kotobuki-san got down and rang the doorbell. I just sat here, resting my head on the steering wheel and peeked. It's not that I'm curious or anything but.. Argh! Think straight! Think straight! After a minute or so, someone finally opened up the door and approached Kotobuki-san. Her back was facing the direction of my car. With just a glance, I knew it was that girl. Her hair was still of the same length but this time, her hair was somewhat wavy/curly and it has volume too. I wonder how it would feel like to run my hands through her hair now that it's not straight. Wait, no! That's just a thought. I looked towards her outfit and it was a pink spaghetti-strapped, loose blouse matched with her white pair of shorts. A blue shaul-like see-through cardigan topped it all off. My attention was diverted to her soft, white and milky legs. Man, one thing's for sure, she got sexier. From the hair to the soles of her feet. I haven't even seen her face yet. She turned for a while as if on cue. Time seemed to stop and gave me enough time to observe her features. I didn't know it was possible for her to be more beautiful with that already-gorgeous face of hers from years ago. It became more evident that she had the ideal, slim hourglass figure and the face that could launch a thousand ships. Time went back to normal when she looked back at Kotobuki-san and continued to have her chat with her. Why the heck am I being attracted to her?! This is just plain wrong. This might be the very little affection I have left of her. Heh, I might just be tired from work too. As I sat in here, trying to hide my face, I couldn't help but listen to their conversation.

"Mugi, you didn't have to go through all of this. You even asked an employee of yours to go out of his way to take you here. It's not that big of a deal anyway," her voice was beautiful. Sheets. I need some rest.

"Oh dear, Mio-chan. You just turned 25 today. You have to celebrate," i checked the date on my watch. January 15. This was also the date I got my heart broken in case you might wonder. Pfft! Go on, celebrate my lonely life, you cruel woman.

"I'm not sure, Mugi. I, I just need some time to think," think about what, huh? How you're going to break tons of other hearts? Go ahead. Be my guest, woman.

"The perfect guy may be out there somewhere," Kotobuki-san glanced at the car and I gave a slight wave. I pretended not to hear anything and just continued hiding behind the steering wheel. That guy would never be me. Sheesh, no matter how many times an opportunity for a relationship will come, I'll just be turning it down.

"I-I'm not looking for love! There is someone bringing me flowers and out to eat but there's nothing more to it, besides... Work is just getting tougher with adaptation proposals coming along from here and there."

"Just call me when you have spare time. Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Of course, I am. I wish you the best with your baby."

"My little boy seems to like you. He's never this excited. He's moving way too much. I will see you soon, then, Mio-chan," Kotobuki-san gave the ravenette a tight hug. I saw her take deep whiffs too with her eyes closed. She nuzzled her head on the ravenette's neck, allowing her lips to brush the surface of her skin. That woman didn't seem to notice nor did she even give suspicion on the blonde-haired girl's actions. Their hug ended and that woman went back to her home while Kotobuki-san entered my car with a blush on her face.

"I'm so cruel. Baby, please forgive mommy, okay?" she said as she carressed her stomach affectionately. The familiar scent of strawberry and vanilla filled the car. "She became more beautiful, don't you agree, Hideo-kun? She smells so good as always too," she added as she stared into the sky with a tint of red on her cheeks. "Maybe first loves never do die," her statement made me give her a look of disapproval. "Oh I'm sorry, Hideo-kun. I didn't mean to. Please forgive me. I adored her as more than a friend before. It was one-sided actually. That was years ago. There's no need to worry," she smiled sweetly before fastening her seatbelt. Now that explains everything. I gave a sigh of relief. "Looks like someone still cares deeply."

"I do not!"

"Oh! I didn't refer to you. Unless, it applies to you too. Let's just go Hideo-kun. My beloved husband awaits my arrival."

"No offense but I think you better get your love interests straight. Just one at a time."

"I'm definitely not offended. It's nothing more than just a super girl crush."

"O-Okay."

We drove off to her home. She gave me directions and a good amount of chatting. When we got there, she got all lovey-dovey with her hubby. They seem so happy together. I wonder if that's how we were viewed in the past. Never mind that, though. I hate that cold woman. That cold, wretched woman better pay up for what she did to me. If not for her then I would be living a normal life-I'll probably have a great best friend at my back, a stable personality, a better future and everything else that comes along with it.

I swore to myself that this would be our last encounter but fate just seems to play around with us.

* * *

**Mio's POV **

**((A/N: This wasn't originally here but since this is the pilot chapter and I did make you guys wait long enough for the sequel, I said, "Hey, why not give Mio her side of the story more often than ever?" So here it is.. Tada!~ HAHA. Btw, this starts on the same day but at an earlier time frame))  
**

25 years. 25 years of living and when I thought I'd feel fine once I turn this age, I was wronged. I often pictured myself with a family of my own and of course, a person living her dream as an established author and bassist. I did accomplish the latter part. It has been quite some time since I finally returned to Japan. I have 3 published novels and 1 in progress. The three novels were a trilogy, though. That was the main reason I had to stay behind for a bit-to not miss to offer of having a published book immediately after I graduated. I did try to contact him but-No, I shouldn't be thinking about him. He cut all connections with me. I know that for a fact. He must hate me a lot right now. As for me, do I..? Do I hate him? I should.

I finally decided to get up from my bed. It took me at least 27 minutes before I did. I often get up immediately but whenever it is my birthday, that changes. The time today was better than before. Last year, it took me at least an hour. Why am I acting this way? One word: him. It was all because of him. I thought he was well-informed. When I came back from abroad, I met up with HTT but he wasn't there, only Tachibana-san was the guy present. He informed me about Hideo and how he had already changed over the span of a few years while I am gone. He also said Hideo was already with Saaya. No wonder he never came for me at my arrival. Are promises really meant to be broken? This has me all pessimistic. I hate it. Baka Mio.

If someone were to ask if I had dated anyone after him, the answer is...kind of, yes, I did but it was only for a short while (1 week, 5 days, 7 hours and 23 minutes to be exact). I cannot consider it as something to be considered as 'official' because it didn't feel right. Yes, you guessed it right, it was Tachibana-kun. He grew up to be quite a gentleman but because of that, the only reason that I might have agreed to dating him was because he reminded me of the Hideo we all knew-I meant, the Hideo we once knew. Tachibana-kun had it all figured out when I told him that I don't think feel any love for him and I might just end up hurting him if we continue and I could never love him the way he wants me to. I'm a cruel human, I hate it but it was for the best. What made it worse was I had broken it off after he tried to kiss me. Our lips haven't even touched for even just a mere second because all thoughts of Hideo came rushing to me like a storm. It prevented me to move on when I thought I already did. Tears fell from my face, I pushed Tachibana-kun away, apologized and that was it. He said he understands and gave me a hug. We decided to just remain friends after that. He does bring me flowers occasionally and says that he'll be there, waiting, until his love for me fades or until I have decided to return his feelings truly and sincerely.

I prepared myself for the day. I may just write about something today, I guess. I'll be celebrating this year's birthday alone unless my bandmates will tell me that they aren't busy anymore. I took a look at myself in the mirror to see slightly swollen eyes from crying due to a person I haven't seen for seven whole years already. I applied a bit of concealer to hide a bit of the puffiness. It does not seem like I cried when viewed from a bit of distance.

I did live up to what I expected for today. I was writing from morning until now. I haven't eaten since and I don't feel hungry at all. Just when I thought I had lost all hope of having someone come over, I received a text from Mugi. I tried telling her that she doesn't have to do so since she is travelling, eating, breathing and basically doing anything for two people now. It would be tough for her and I wouldn't want to be so much of a bother to an expectant mother. She still insisted on going and said that she has her chauffeur with her. I doubt it. Mugi likes walking around and I believe that my claim is true based on how her husband was telling her to rest more when I called her last time.

I went to freshen myself up once again and of course, a new set of clothes that is actually presentable when I go outside. I am fond of wearing only hoodies ever since I got so stressed up. It keeps me comfortable. If not that then I just wear what I usually wear. I think my style hasn't exactly changed when it comes to home clothing but whenever I go out or whenever someone comes for a visit, I make sure that I am as proper as I can ever be.

After waiting for quite a while, someone rang the doorbell. Mugi. Right. It took her at least 21 minutes to come here. It must have taken her chauffeur to be a reckless driver so that they could get here so fast based on the location where Mugi said she was coming from. I went to open the door and greet her politely. When I opened the door, I was greeted with Mugi's smile. To be honest, behind all her smiles, it seems so impossible for the others and I to read what she's really thinking at the back of her mind. I glanced at the car that brought her here. Compared to what I'm used to seeing her in, she seems to be keeping a low-profile today. The driver does seem like a foreigner but I can't exactly judge for his hair was the only thing visible.

"Mugi, you didn't have to go through all of this. You even asked an employee of yours to go out of his way to take you here. It's not that big of a deal anyway," I said as I crossed my arms. I offered her to come inside for a while but she said she had other errands to attend to.

"Oh dear, Mio-chan. You just turned 25 today. You have to celebrate," was what she replied. I don't feel like celebrating, actually. I have mixed feelings for this day and I don't know when that will revert back to normal again. I started to think that maybe my birthday is c-cursed. Yada! No! No! No!

"I'm not sure, Mugi. I, I just need some time to think,"

"The perfect guy may be out there somewhere," she said with a giggle. In the past, maybe there was a perfect guy who now deteriorated into someone less but I am not quite certain on how worse his personality might have gotten.

"I-I'm not looking for love! There is someone bringing me flowers and out to eat but there's nothing more to it, besides... Work is just getting tougher with adaptation proposals coming along from here and there."

"Tachibana-kun, right? Just call me when you have spare time. Are you sure you'll be fine?" I am not quite sure why she whispered the first part but I looked away upon hearing that. It does feel kind of awkward to talk about the guy who I went out with for just a short while who is actually the former best friend of my ex.

"Of course, I am. I wish you the best with your baby." I gave her a slight smile as she returned the gesture.

"My little boy seems to like you. He's never this excited. He's moving way too much. I will see you soon, then, Mio-chan," Mugi hugged me so I did too. Sometimes, I think she acts a bit of like a koala whenever she hugs me. Sometimes, instead of a koala, like a little girl who found her teddy bear. She released me from her grasp and took a deep breath before flashing a smile at me. She did pick a paper bag up from the ground and gave it to me. I gave her my thanks before she bid farewell. I watched as the car drifted off after around 2 to 3 minutes before I headed on inside my house. I looked inside the paper bag, there was a huge box in it. Strawberry shortcake. As expected of Mugi, she noticed my love for this cake ever since we were first year. I sighed and smiled as I continued reminiscing my first and second year of high school when he still hadn't come into my life.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

A few days later, I received a call from the director of the previous film I worked on. I was waiting for this call because working freelance doesn't exactly mean you're free from the stresses that money gives. My mom stopped working after I graduated college only to find out that her health is deteriorating. I know that her resting would help but I also need to work hard just to be ready if ever the worse comes to worst. I was walking the streets as I talked with the director. I could tell some people were checking me out. Ladies, they're easy to fool now that I know their tactics. They make you fall in love with their girly antics, love you more and even make out with you then boom, break your heart into thousands of pieces.

"Akihiko-san, are you still with me?"

"Yes, sir. It's just a bit crowded in here. I can't take my car because my plate's on coding today."

"Ah. Stay safe, young man. I wouldn't want to delay filming. We'll start tomorrow if that's okay with you. Actually, today's just a meeting with the other personnel."

"Noted. Sir, is there anything else I could help you with?"

"None at the moment. Good job, kid!"

He hanged up the phone and I just kept strolling. I didn't even look where I was going. When I walked around the corner, I collided with a lady whose coffee spilled all over me. It was burning hot. Papers even scattered all over the place. "Watch it, lady!" The way we collided was harsh. She was at a high rate of speed when she collided with me. We even fell on over to the ground.

"P-please forgive me. I-I didn't know and I was rushing I-I..Are you all right?" she asked as she started dabbing her handkerchief on me. As if that would even help, psh.

"Don't touch me you filthy woman. You're only making things worse!" I shouted at her without even bothering who she is. She spilled coffee on my white button-down shirt. Now, it looks as if I barfed. I started rubbing the stain vigorously.

"I'm not! You're the one who's making it worse! You're spreading the coffee all over your shirt!"

"Gah! You're only doing this because you want to touch me!"

"How dare you accuse me of such thing! Just hold still! Be grateful that I even bothered to do this. I could have just ignored you and went on to picking up all my scattered work load."

That got me to shut up and behave. Her delicate fingers dab my shirt delicately. I could tell that I gained minor burns in the process. When I looked at what she was wearing, ot was of a similar style to...that woman's current style but she was wearing pants instead. Then it hit me, the fragrant smell of strawberries and vanilla entered my nose. No, no, no, no! Please don't let it be her. I took a deep breath and I looked up to her face. No doubt, it's her.

"It's you.."

"What are you talking about?" she looked at me. For a split second, I knew she recognized me despite the change in my appearance. She looked at me with eyes filled with awe. She shook her head and quickly picked up her stuff. "M-Maybe you got the wrong person. I-I have to go!" she quickly stood up but I followed suit and before she could run off, I grabbed her wrist.

"You owe me a shirt, woman."

"I don't. I did the best I could. Please, just, let me go."

"Hm? Is that so? I couldn't believe that people who finished their studies abroad would just ignore the fact that they have caused minor burns and a shirt stain on someone who just stayed in Japan. Don't you think you should handle this seriously, Akiyama Mio?"

"I.." she looked down then at me. I leaned over to her ear and chuckled.

"My, my. You don't have to force yourself. You're just filled with guilt. I honestly wished I never saw you again, woman."

She snatched her wrist away and shot me a glare. Tears were forming in her eyes which made me laugh slightly. She blinked it away and gained her composure before saying, "Fine, I'll get you your shirt. Just stay away from me."

"Never knew talking to an ex would feel like talking to a little mouse," I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say anything, ex?"

Did she just use my simile as her own weapon? It was quiet and I followed her as we looked for a shop to buy me a presentable shirt. I am on my way to an important meeting. We've got an hour before it starts. Is this going to take forever?

We finally found a store with 43 minutes to spare. I just sat down and waited as she rummaged through the hangers. I was constantly checking my watch. "Can't you look faster?"

"We'll be faster if you help me, Akihiko Hideo."

"Don't say my name casually, woman."

"If that's the way you want it to be then the same goes for you, ex. Kami-sama, why must this have to be a crappy day?"

"Vulgar woman,"

"Stupid ex,"

"Heartless hag,"

"Demon-faced dog,"

"Excuse me sir and ma'am. Please do mind our other customers. You are causing quite a scene," the store clerk told us with a bow. The both of us apologized and silence filled the space between us once again.

"You like light blue, right?" I raised my eyebrows. She still remembers, huh? She might have not moved on. Silly little girl, you should learn. You don't betray someone and try to please them. If you betray someone then don't be afraid to just let go, forget and let them have what they deserve. You deserve no love, old hag. Imagine having to wait for so long only to find nobody there to fulfill the promise. Even if she will decide to apologize sooner or later, I won't let her. I'm not stupid enough to fall for her and her tricky little plans.

"Just give me that. I'm running late," I snatched the button-down shirt away from her grasp and quickly changed in the fitting room.

"You're gonna age quickly with that hot temper of yours, ex." I heard her say as I made her wait outside. I just rolled my eyes before exiting the changing room. I crumpled the shirt I was holding until she grabbed it and folded it for me. She was even able to pay for it already, too. She placed my shirt in the paperbag neatly. Someone's OC it seems.

"Hmp. You can leave now, woman."

"You've changed, haven't you? I'm glad our thing's over now." What the heck does that mean, huh? Psh! She's being absurd. Did her level of knowing better and being intelligence go down when she went to the States. I guess so. There is no other person to blame than her and her annoying little self. I actually pity her for thinking that she could show pity on me whose dignity is as high and bright as the mighty sun.

She smiled slightly before exiting the mall. I just stared and watched as she left. If this were several years ago, I would have still cared. I would have asked her to stay and never leave me behind. That was in the past, though. I bet she regrets breaking up with me with the way she's acting around me. They do say that there are times that girls speak in opposites. I'm glad I've grown up now and realized that a woman could just use you and play with you and crush your heart in the process as they get tired of you.

* * *

I sit here now as we wait for some more people who are part of this new film. I am honored to be working once again with such a generous director if not for him seeing me then I won't be able to hitch a ride going here and probably arrive late. There are times when he seems too generous, though. Like now. We aren't starting yet because some significant people haven't arrived yet. He said it will be fine and worth it. My seatmate who is apparently the lead guy was getting quite impatient. I let him rant on as the lead girl (who thankfully is not Fushi**y-san) eats her pickles joyfully as a pasttime. He said he wouldn't kiss someone whose mouth may probably taste like pickle juice. I feel sorry for the guy but it's his job and it pays well.

With a single shout from the director, everybody settled down. We hadn't noticed that he left the room just a few minutes ago. I just sipped on my water as he talked. It must be someone new. Most of us here worked with each other before.

"Everyone, let us welcome one of the most talented young writers of this modern age. The head scriptwriter of our film, Akiyama Mio-san," the director joyfully said as that lady entered.

I almost spat out the water inside my mouth. Fortunately, I was able to swallow before I started coughing nonstop. That woman looked like as if life was taken out of her when her eyes trailed to my direction. She realized we'd be working together and believe me, this is the worst living nightmare on earth.

* * *

**Thank you for reading guys! Hope you enjoyed it! If you're hoping for Himio then go ahead and read on!~ I'd love to have reviews along the way, too hihi ^.^ Just saying. Love lots!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I apologize for making you wait! T^T I had to take my final exams and my graduation requirements :) Hihi! Second from the top is the ranking I got. Anyways, I thank all of you for the reviews! It kept me wanting to write more and more.**

** Misaka-solsi: Thank you for being so loyal :') I'm not good at understanding Spanish that much but with the most I could understand, I believe you loved the 'Stupid Ex', ne? Aside from that, you're right. It really is from the heart.**

** DigDug1: I'm looking forward to it too :D Haha! I wonder if they'll end up together or not.**

** Linh02: You'll have to see ;) One thing's for sure: It'll be one heck of a crazy ride.**

** Guest: Wish granted!~**

* * *

The Second Piece:The Bet &amp; The Drink That Launched a Thousand Kisses

"Akiyama-san, Akihiko-kun, are you guys all right?" the director asked. I just gave him a nod and banged my head on the table. _Itai_.. I shouldn't have done that.

"Y-Yes, I am. I was just in a state of shock. I'm..not used to being stared at," she said as she tugged at the hem of her blouse. Great acting, hag. She should've known better. Well, her best acting piece would be the part where she told me she loved me. She even yanked my necktie back then.

"Oh you should get used to it. You're such a beauty, Akiyama-san."

"T-That's not..!" she replied as she fumbled with her fingers. My eyes widened as a memory came rushing to my mind.

_She untucked my shirt and started roaming her hands on my bare back. Kami, please no. Her slender fingers traced the small of my back which sent a burning sensation throughout my body. I pulled her close to me as if no matter how close we get, it still wasn't enough. "Mio.." I said into her lips. She replied with a small moan as I squeezed her leg. One pair of our hands met. My gut tells me that her legs are out of bounds. She moved my hand to her cheek. My hand crept its way to the back of her head. I moved her head toward mine, deepening our heated kiss. It lingered for a moment till she pushed me slightly as we both gasped for air. "Hideo-kun, if I leave, would you still love me?"_

Sheets. Why am I having a flashback now? Aren't flashbacks intended to be for movies only? I hate her and she probably hates me too. I banged my head on the table once more and shook my head violently.

"Hey Hii-san, you okay?"

"Sure I am, Taka," I replied to the male lead of the film.

"Man, I call dibs on the writer. She's just so hot."

"Looks can deceive. I know you know that."

"It's not like she's the woman whom you hate so much. Just chill, Hii-san."

"Hn." If he only knew, he'd freak out right now. He'll also be asking questions about her, too.

"Akiyama-san, I believe you are acquaintances with Akihiko-kun over there. The both of you did graduate from the same high school, it seems. That school should get recognition don't you think? Aha! We'll have one of our shoots there! Good show! Good show!" the director said with excitement, "you guys did react quite energetically when you saw each other."

"So you do know her! Introduce me well, Hii-san," Taka exclaimed at me.

"Do you know him, Akiyama-san."

"I guess I could say I knew him. It's complicated. Please don't dig deeper. It's personal, sir."

"Ha! You're a shy one. Maybe you're just hiding the fact that you're his girlfriend," she flinched and the director laughed. "I am right, aren't I, Akiyama-san?"

"'_Were_' would be the proper form of verb to use, sir."

Awkwardness filled the room and the director finally took the advice of not digging deeper. Taka looked at me dumbfoundedly. The director cleared his throat and invited everyone to take their seats because food will be served in a few. Tough luck, the only available chair was the one beside me. Great, just great. Man, this will lead to worse days now, wouldn't it? She sat down and avoided looking at my direction. She just kept writing on her notebook. When she flipped the page, she wrote, "It's rude to look into another person's business especially without permission." I was taken aback and looked around me. "That was meant for you, stupid ex." she wrote again. I decided not to look anymore after getting the feeling that the next one would be harsher.

"Hey, Hii-san, does this mean she's the girl you told me about?" Taka whispered as the plates were set on the table.

"Yup, she's a cold-hearted woman," I replied and made sure it could be heard by that woman.

"Watch it, she'll hear you."

"Oh come on, does it even matter if she hears? She will admit to it anyway. Women just _love_ then dump. That's their process, it's as easy as stealing candy from a baby." This time, I said it even louder. Take that!

"You might get yourself in trouble, Hii-san."

"Trust me, being in the same room with her is already trouble of it's own."

"Sir, may I be excused for a moment," I heard her say. The director nodded with approval as he stuffed his face with different types of food all at the same time. I wanted to mess up with her a bit so I raised a hand and the director just keeps on nodding. I followed her only to find out she headed towards the CR. Now, I have to wait. Ugh, I hate it when girls have to go to the comfort room. It just takes so long. I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes and even dozed off for a while.

"I knew you'd follow me, ex. Tell me, what the heck is wrong with you?!"

"Well, I just think you deserve that kind of treatment," I chuckled as she yanked the collar of my shirt and looked at me straight in the eye.

"Don't be such a kid, baka. This is temporary, only. If you want this to end quickly then you should learn how to cooperate."

"Hm, I think I get it. You shouldn't go and fall in love with me."

"I think I should be the one saying that. I'd never fall for someone like you again, Love." Did she just mock me? I ran out of words and was in a complete state of shock. I smirked as I suddenly thought if something. I could tell this made her nervous with the slight movement she had on my collar.

"Wanna make a bet?"

"What's the catch?"

"Oh nothing, just plain ol' fun. The winner could make the loser do whatever he or she wants, if that counts as a good one."

"You'll lose anyway."

"Let's find out," I replied as I reached over to squeeze her leg but she slapped my hand away.

"Don't touch me, perv. You'll get me infected."

I pulled her by the waist which somewhat shocked her. "You'll pay for what you did, woman," I whispered in her ear. I hoped she would run in fear sooner or later. I released her the same time she pushed me away and headed back to the meeting room. Here she goes again, doing what she does best: leaving me alone. Hah! I want to laugh so bad. Déja vu feels like this, right?

I went back to the room after a while. "I believe you two have made out—I mean made things in order—uh, reconciled for that matter," the director said as he cleared his theoat. The other staff members looked down their plates and avoided staring at us. We stared at the screen and it was a live feed of the CCTV cameras in the building.

"I'd never kiss this hag, sir! What makes you think that I did?"

"Sir, may we just change the cameraman for this film?"

"I'm afraid we can't, Akiyama-san. All things are set," he told her.

"Hey, hey, hey sir! You still haven't answered me."

"My boy, Allow me to show you," he rewinded the CCTV scene shown on screen. There were no sounds but a high-quality video is being shown. Indeed, it looks as if we were kissing.

"Forward women turn me on, just so you know," Taka said as he winked at my ex who didn't even bother to look at him. She was blushing furiously because of her embarrassment, I could tell and not at the way my colleague was flirting with her.

After the director had his fun of repeating it again and again, we finally talked about the filming process. The woman kept taking down notes and was acting as if I don't exist. This is working professionally, huh? I bet the story she wrote is as cheesy as her lyrics were back in high school. Hm, what if they still play music? I bet she'd humiliate herself again in front of the crowd. Why does it seem as though my thoughts always wander to her? It is annoying. Maybe I am just overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.

* * *

After a few hours of the meeting, we were permitted to go to our respective homes. Guess what? We are headed to the same direction since our houses are just a block away from each other. No words were uttered. Glances were exchanged but resulted to unwanted 'hmphs'. There was a point when she rushed and got ahead of me until I lost track of her. I still walked the same pace but stopped when I saw Daiki-san—The Daiki Damian who ruined my life, and Nakano-san together in front of that woman's house. Nakano-san finally got rid of those pigtails huh? Now she has side-swept bangs and the same length of hair.

"You are...?" Nakano-san asked. I just chuckled and shook my head calmly. Daiki-san laughed as he put his arm around Nakano-san. Everything he does still looks gross to me. At least he's over Akiyama-san now. Wait—The heck?! I thought of her name and even cared about who liked her?! Please.

"Kitty, he's none other than the ex of Akiyama-senpai."

"Mio-senpai's...? Akihiko Hideo?"

"Yup. Well, well, look who's the wicked one now?" he said while that woman came out of her door with her bass. I thought that after all these years, she'd finally quit that music career of hers. She probably has no right reason to write anymore now that she isn't looking for love. Tsk tsk, poor little girl in a big wide world.

"I'm sorry for making you guys wait," she said then looked over at me, "shouldn't you be heading home?"

"What are you doing with this guy?!" I exploded.

"Why do you even care? People change, Akihiko-san."

"They don't!" she asked them to go ahead of her before she replied at what I uttered.

"But you did."

"You have no proof. Nobody ever changes, they just become more of who they really are!"

"Then you faked it all. You faked those cheesy words.— B-but never mind that, I'm over it."

"Oh really?"

"I'll prove it. Come with me."

I nodded then she led the way. We ended up at an average-sized theatre not too far away. They headed over to the back while Daiki and I were left here in the audience. We had to push through the crowd to get into the front. Being the photographer that I am, I still brought out my camera. I inspected the people around me. Most were loyal fans of HTT for I could see all of them wearing or waving out merch.

"Her charm still works on you?" Daiki asked.

"Don't conclude it that way, Willy Wonka."

"Is that how you treat all your senpais? You ain't growing up well. You ain't following her letters, bro."

That struck some sense out of me. How did he know about my letters? Much more, he even said that I'm not following it. I vowed myself to send a reply to each one of those. Aside from that, I even wanted to follow each one. "What letters are you talking about? She never sent me a single one around three or four years after."

"U-uh, I uh... Well, I just made a guess y'know, bro."

"Okay, then. If that's what you say," come to think of it, he never even knew of our means of communication that time so I'll accept his excuse. "I despise her now. We are never ever getting back together. You should be careful around girls."

"Impressive advice from a younger guy."

"I've been through a lot and I'm not falling for it again."

"I believe we better hang soon. We've got a lot in common now."

"Hm? Is that right?"

Our conversation was cut short when the music started playing and the curtains revealed the 5 girls. Hirasawa-san had the same hairstyle but with no hairpins and flyaways, she wore a loose sleeveless shirt with a pair of jeans. Tainaka-san couldn't be seen that much but judging from her silhouette, she was wearing a beret cap. Nakano-san was well, still small and wore a loose shirt and a skirt. Kotobuki-san seemed a bit out of place though for she was wearing maternity clothes. For the woman I hate, she was wearing a pair of black pants and a pink crop top that was off-shoulder. It does reveal her womanly abs/flat stomach. I felt heat rising up my face but shook whatever I was thinking away. She was the lead singer tonight and her confidence was way better than before. I listened well to the lyrics.

_I'm sure they'll be heard everywhere, forever_

_Though they do not even need eternity, somehow they don't seem to fade_

_Our Splendid Songs_

_Let's sing, even though our voices grow weaker and weaker and weaker_

_Our lips proclaim the moment_

_Having possession of a map of the same route was our bond_

_We had a fated encounter_

_NO, Thank you! I don't need memories_

_Because I'm strongly, deeply in love with the present_

_Being flooded with memories is a sweet, adult-like luxury_

_And yet... I wanna refrain from it_

It...stabbed me. I mean, they were good. They even improved a whole lot and seemed like the professionals that they had dreamed to be. But those lyrics, they just seemed to be directed at me. Especially after that wink. Yes, that wink changes it all and I caught it on camera.

I decided to leave in order to avoid anymore contact with her. I just need some more rest. A lot has definitely happened today and it is truly hard to take it all in at once. I lie in my bed with the lights turned off. I stared at the ceiling and straightened out the facts. One, she's here and she's my workmate (for now, at least). Two, she's friends with Daiki. Three, she wrote a song and it made every bit of my life feel worse. I sighed and took a deep breath to calm myself down. I've done this a lot in therapy so maybe it'll help me now too.

That was when my eyes lit up. I made a bet. I made a bet with her to see who falls in love first. Ha! As if I'll fall for her again! Watch out, Akiyama Mio. Get ready to lose.

* * *

**Mio's POV**

The show ended wonderfully. It was successful and I presume the next one would be better. I observed how the people reacted to our music. We gained positive views and an addition to our so-called fanbase. We aren't exactly aiming to become famous. We play music for them but mostly for ourselves. It keeps the bond of our friendship strong and that's what matters most. My eyes wandered to Bakihiko to give him slight hints that it was written for him. Gosh, I'm a rude person. I didn't want to get even on purpose but he seemed to have gotten the message for he suddenly disappered later on.

I told Ritsu about the sudden turn of events. Maybe I'm just unlucky? Luck does not even exist so why do I even bother? Approximately, I have just wasted 4 minutes and 32 seconds staring at a blank space, pondering over what I should do now. I'm already 25, I should learn how to handle myself and my decisions well. I will handle everything professionally even if it means I have to seem everyday. I am over him, right? He's the one who cut connections and he's the one who never came even after I sent that letter telling him my arrival would be at a later date. I put all the blame on him but that was years ago so I better forget about it.

Tomorrow's the start of a brand new day. I always remind myself that if I dwell too much in the past then I would never see the brighter days of tomorrow. Tomorrow's light seems to be darker, though. I'll be working with the sweet turned cocky and arrogant boy whom I don't even recognize anymore. The only thing left of him that was there since the past was his love for his camera. Hopefully, it is the same for his love for his mom. I couldn't comtrol him. It was his own decision to become that way. If that makes him happy then that should be how he should be. Did he even love me then? He did say now that people only become more of who they really are.

I grabbed my customized water tumbler without even checking if it was truly mine before rushing to go home with my bass and my bags. I hope that I am fortunate enough to have gotten mine. The last time I rushed, I accidentally grabbed Yui's (The 5 of us had these tumblers customized and matched. All of it looks exactly alike but our names were engraved underneath in a small font size.), it was filled up with a sickly sweet substance that resulted into me having a severely sore throat the following day. It looked like water but it was actually a white gummi bear juice with tons of sugar according to her taste. Why didn't I check today? Well, I suddenly remembered that tomorrow's meeting for the shoot starts early at 6 and the script for the movie adaptation needs some heavy editing. I agreed to have them have the movie adaptation of the book and they said they wouldn't change the story plot. When they gave it to me earlier today, I didn't even recognize everything that was written. It was like a whole new world to me. They even added in horror-themed scenes that terrified me when I read it but thankfully, it got lost when I crashed into my ex. I guess he is not exactly the worst person...yet. If I don't make it today and the filming starts at 8 tomorrow (Hopefully they hired great artists who can memorize well. The meeting's purpose is a briefing about the whole storyline and the memorization of lines.

I went inside my home and checked the clock. 12:03 AM. This means there'll be no sleep for me. I better freshen up first if I want these feelings of drowsiness and exhaustedness to go away. I took the fastest shower I had with the cooperation of the cool water that immediately woke all of my senses. I decided to just wear my overly-large and baggy hoodie which stopped one or two inches above my mid-thigh over my undergarments. If I want to move quickly, I need to wear comfortable clothes. This one helped me during my thesis days so I'm crossing my fingers to hope that it'll help me this time again. As I dried my hair, I prepared myself some hot tea in a thermos and placed it beside my water tumbler which was already placed on my desk. I started my work after I had worn my reading glasses. There isn't really much of a problem with my eyes but when I got them checked, the optometrist told me to wear these occasionally to avoid too much strain. I checked the clock before I started. 12:27. Okay, time to get some work done. I tied my hair up and turned my laptop on.

So this goes here and this goes there. Hm, I can think clearly for now. I hope this goes on until the end of the next day. This seemed so easy that I thought I finished at around 2 or 3. I finished at 4:42. Still good but.. I feel sleepy now. I stretched my arms then looked over to my thermos. Right, I still have tea. I twisted it open and met with a cloud of smoke. I know that was some type of warning but I drank it anyway. Itai! It literally burnt my tongue and it was scorching hot that I immediately grabbed my (or someone else's) tumbler and drank whatever was in there. The cold fluid relieved my burnt tongue but it was heating up my throat. Is that even possible? Water can't do that but it does taste like water or maybe my taste buds weren't working well. I kept gulping down the contents hoping the burning sensation would fade sooner. Then it hit me as the scent wafted through my nose. Oh crap. Crap. Crap. Crap..! Baka Ritsu, you drunkard! It was too late. I drank three-fourths of it and I'm... I'm feeling light-headed right now. I cursed under my breath and rested my head on the table. Please don't let it kick in...

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

It's already half-past six and she's the only one missing. Gosh! Does she consider herself too important to be on time?! Maybe she still partied till an hour ago. Ha! She'll be fired soon. Oh wait... But if she does, all of us will be because a writer is vital. The script is with her and we couldn't get any work done without it. This is taking too long that I fiddled with my pencil, slicked my hair back and changed my camera's batteries.

"Hey, Hii-san!"

"Yes, sir!" I was taken by surprise that my father-like figure of a director suddenly called for me.

"If you wouldn't mind, please check on Akiyama-san. She is known to be punctual but something must've come up. If you are to ask, no, no she hasn't replied nor anwered any of my calls."

"Why me?"

"You are the ex. No stop-overs will be done if that is so, young man. Be professional."

"Fine, sir."

"Good job, young man!"

I drove over to her crib in a matter of a few minutes. Such a troublemaker, she is. I sighed and walked up to the door to ring the doorbell. She's slow in answering the door too. I was looking at my watch the whole time and five whole minutes had already passed. She finally opened the door but she never revealed herself. "It's about time you opened the door, hag," I complained. She showed herself and I looked at her from the bottom to the top. She just wore an oversized grayish white hoodie which practically revealed all of her milky white legs. The sleeves were hanging loosely and her hair was tied up. She pushed the rim of her glasses and I saw how her face was a bright pink. "H-Hey, don't just go on answering doors with only that."

"Nee, it's the person I hate most," she giggled and twirled locks of my hair and grabbed my hand as she pulled me to enter her house. She closed the door and smiled with half-lidded eyes.

"You're already late for work, witch! Time to move!" I shouted as I diverted my eyes to someplace else. She tugged at the bottom of her hoodie and pouted.

"But I don't want to go..!" she whined like a 5-year old and pushed me onto the vacant swivel chair.

"W-watch it! What the heck is wrong with you..? Wake up!"

"Don't you want to have some fun, ex? Poor little babies like you shouldn't whine all day," she said suggestively as she walked over me and sat on my lap, facing me with her legs sprawled sexily over mine. Was she seducing me or something. Pfft! If this is a trick, this is a.. This is uh.. Black, lacy panties—Uh, wait..! No what I meant was...urgh. My heart started beating triple-time.

"Let's just get to work, the director's wai—"

"Shush, baby. I know you would want to stay here for a while. I hate you so so much, I'll ruin your career," she fixed herself up on me and closed the gap between our torsos as she whispered those lines and wrapped her arms over my neck. Enticing but at the same time, terrifying. It's either she's sick or she's under the influence of alcohol. She licked my cheek and traced her finger to the buttons of my shirt. She popped one up and kissed my neck. Each one sent electrifying shocks to my heart. Argh, the heart wants what it wants, huh? My brain is telling me to push her off but I didn't. She chuckled and said, "You're too quiet, ex. Shouldn't you shout for help from your director..? Mm, you just look so cute, work with me right now," she grabbed my cheeks and played with it before flashing me a smile. Her pink-tinted cheeks looked natural but it was bothersome. I remained quiet as I watched her in awe. Is this the result of stress?

She released her hair from the ponytail that it was in and removed her eyeglasses and threw it to somewhere. "Hey, I really think you should at least wear pants or a-a s-skirt, perhaps or maybe shorts," I was distracted but she put her forehead on mine. I felt her breath on my skin. She hummed a song and before I could ask what it was, she gave a peck on my lips. "I just love...hating you," she said and laughed slightly. She pulled me much closer to her as she kissed me again even if I tried avoiding it but failed. This one's a long, wild one. The reminiscent taste of vanillas and strawberries fill my mouth. Gosh, why didn't I stop her like I did with Fushi**y-san? The taste of her lips now then gave hints of some kind of alcohol. This girl has a pretty strong stomach for not vomiting now. Hm, wait a second..She drinks now? That's a total turn-off but she does turn me on with what she's doing right now. Turn me on in a sense that I... Um. Mm, she tastes and kisses amazingly. I don't care if she's someone I despise anymore. This is what I've been longing for. This woman right here is a pro. I returned the favor by doing the same. This was definitely against my will but..

"Kiss me more, old hag," I found myself saying it into the kiss. I ran my hands through her hair as she was now doing so in mine. Surprisingly, her hair's still tangle-free. I yanked on it, earning a cute moan from her. Her kisses gained more power and we fell to the ground. Her hoodie went up to her mid-rib but we didn't stop. The effect of alcohol on her really does a great job huh? My hands wander to her bare legs, up her thighs and man is this her underwear?—Yes, yes it is. I blushed then I quickly proceeded my hands to her bare waist then her bare back. Kami, I wanted to take that hoodie all the way off of her.

"If you only kept your promise then maybe we'd still be like this, nee?" she said as she stopped kissing me and nuzzled her head on my chest with a grin, "..married, even. You just make me so mad, Love or should I say _ex_?" I didn't react anymore as she giggled. My lust is just getting stronger. I'm hungry for her. I brought her attention to my lips again. Who knows when we'll stop kidding ourselves with this makeout session? She purred like a cat as my hand strode over to the small of her back while the other was being tempted to get ahold of either the hoodie or the undie. Either way, I'll be strongly aroused.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Back at the studio, the actors and actresses are just chatting around while reading the book version of the film. They are trying to get themselves into character. The only thing they lack now is the actual script or at least, they thought it to be so. The director was pacing back and forth the room. It has been an hour or so since the leave of Akihiko Hideo. He called for Taka and asked him to locate his good friend. The director seems so stressed now and was shouting all over the place

"Hey, sir, chill. He might have just had a hard time finding the beauty. I don't even know where that is, sir."

"Use your connections! Use Waze and track for Hideo. He had one job to do. I don't blame the girl, the girl is famous for being a writer and a bassist."

"She plays instruments, huh? Smooth and forward, I like that."

"Move..!"

"I'll be on my leave then. Can I take your car?"

"Fine."

Sure enough, the GPS on the director's car has a tracker on each of his usual actors, cameramen and staff. He followed the directions and it was so accurate he thought of wanting to keep the GPS for his own use. He walked over and rang the doorbell but nobody seemed to be answering. He's just sure that Hideo's in there because of the awesome high-tech device he used. He started kicking dirt on the ground as he went near the door and waited for a signal. Taka was about to turn back but he heard quite a few noises from inside—Noises of delight and pleasure, he presumes but he also heard a clashing of utensils. He turned the knob and it was open. He entered quietly and sneakily. In the living room, there was a running laptop while, on the floor, there was... just a toppled down swivel chair. No biggie. Not a hoodie. Not an undie.

"How dare you trespass into my Romio-chan's house, perv..!"

"Romio? Am I in a guy's house? I just came to pick up my workmates."

"Eh? Is that so? You an actor?"

"Yup."

"I'm sorry but I'm taken by 3 people to be exact. Romio's not."

"Who is this Romio?"

"My best friend. Heartbroken and definitely not searching for love at the moment."

"Okay, then. Is she Akiyama Mio? Kami, that forward and smooth girl is hot as hell."

"Yup, but I repeat: Heartbroken and definitely not searching for love at the moment."

"What are you doing here with a frying pan held up like some sort of weapon?"

"I was hearing stuff."

"What kind...?"

"Baka Hideo! Baka! Baka! Baka! Now it's your turn to leave? Ba—ka! " A certain ravenette's voice was heard.

"That kind. If Akihiko Hideo came here to talk to Mio, I'm gonna beat him to a pulp."

"What the heck is wrong with you woman? First you kiss me now you're hitting m—Gosh! Yesterday you spilled coffee on me now I could tell you're just about to vomit. It was your choice to get drunk. Don't spray water on me, hag!" the voice of the one about to be beat up said. The pair followed the sound and found themselves in front of the door that leads to the bathroom. The girl opened the door forcefully. It revealed an Akiyama Mio with her fist held high and her cheeks a bright pink and an Akihiko Hideo doing his best to defend himself but at the same time cradling her in his arms as his own polo shirt was disregarded as well as her hoodie which was on the floor. Taka just immediately covered his nose and tried not to let any blood trickle down his nose.

"You..!"

"Why the heck are you pointing at me? She kissed me first!"

"Taking advantage of someone drunk, eh?"

"Who are you by the way?"

The girl with slightly long hair and messy bangs lifted up the bangs covering her face. "Hmph! Blonde boy, she already gave me an orientation that y'were back."

"That Kansai dialect and that big forehead...Tainaka-san?"

"Don't just Tainaka-san me, get out!"

"Just chill, forehead! I'm leaving! I'm—"

He passed out with a single punch from Mio who later on fainted as a result of her 'drinking habit.'

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

"Let's just get going. I got the script," I said as I buckled up my seatbelt in my own car. The scent of strawberries and vanilla fill my car. I don't know but I ended up wearing this hoodie when I gained consciousness and got kicked out. That woman was nowhere to be seen when my eyes opened. Oh, yeah, my shirt got soaked when we.. When we 'showered'. Her black undergarments for her chest and her bottom flashed at the back of my mind with her throwing herself at me before violently punching me.

"A script, man? More like you got more from the ex." Taka raised an eyebrow at me while I swallowed and tried to explain and ended up sighing. He folded his arms and just stared at me with an eyebrow raised to emphasize his point.

"I... I just can't help it. She's a great kisser and seducer." That's just it right? If I plan to make her fall in love in me and lose the bet then I'd have to go to that extent. Psh! Me? Loving someone like her again? That's certainly not a good road to head on to. I mean, I'm a man who finally realized how girls are actually foolish enough to leave someone hanging for more or less five years. How will that make you feel? That's ought to hurt. I warn you, if you are going to love someone, don't love just anyone especially if they seem to have the most ideal of looks and personality. When we kissed, I just went with the flow. If I had pushed her away then I would get too much bruises and hurt my 'image' physically and mentally.

"How does it feel, dude?"

"Aren't you supposed to scold me?"

"Well, yeah, I know she's my new crush but you know us guys, we lovin', they hatin' aside from that, her friend seems interesting. Where'd you get that hoodie by the way? I just saw you in a polo shirt before you left."

"Yeah, about that..."

* * *

**Hideo is one big opportunity-taker, isn't he? O.O Tsk tsk. I wonder what'll come next. Will it be Mio's win or Hideo's? Please keep reading and reviewing! I love you all~ Chapter 3 coming up soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back!~ Here's to an update after soooo long. Actually, I wanted to ask you guys of when you want updates to be? Every other week or what? I might consider it ^.^ I am now on vacation and you'll be hearing a lot from me :) Btw, I appreciate all the faves, reviews and stuff~ Thank you so much! Don't be afraid to give suggestions :P**

** Misaka-solsi: Thank you!~ Haha :) I'd love to learn more Spanish, actually. I just love it when you guys review :D It does seem that Mio still really loves Hideo, ne? Others do say that alcohol gives you confidence, idk O.O**

** DigDug1: Hm... well, maybe. Probably a guy, or a girl...Or someone really unexpected HAHA! We'll see ;) It seems you don't have to wait long for this update. I hope you like it~**

* * *

The Third Piece: Cruelty and Jealousy

**Mio's POV**

"Where did I get all of these?" I stared at my neck and some portions of my back and my chest as I clutched onto my towel wrapped around my body as I faced the bathroom mirror. Believe me when I tell you that my head was throbbing when I woke up. Apparently, I missed a whole day of work and I couldn't even recall giving the script . Until now, actually. Approximately, I have been awake for an hour and 32 minutes already, giving me at least 40 minutes to spare. I am not even aware of how I fell asleep or how a _man's_ polo shirt ended up in my bathtub. Maybe.. Oh gosh, no way.

I now know why these marks looked familiar. These are what people call love bites and the first I got them was...Let's not talk about it. It includes a stupid and arrogantly annoying red-headed boy. But how...? Is it possible that a stranger entered my home and I-I. No! No! No! I'm just overthinking stuff. Maybe these are just insect bites and _lots of them_. I threw the polo shirt into the trash bin before deciding to apply concealer on the marks to cover them up with the best that I can.

Today, I decided to wear a simple and casual pastel-colored dress with a cardigan to top it off. I had to intake some medicine to relieve some of the pain before I went off to the set. If I had a choice, I would have chosen to stay at home and rest but I can't. I already missed work and it's going to look as if I have no shame if I keep on being absent whenever there is a shoot. I mean, wrote it and they expect me to watch over the artists to see if they interpret it well. I did get the option to be taken to work by Papa—I mean, my dad but I told him I would just take the cab and he does not have to worry.

I arrived 13 minutes early at the venue and every single person in here was bustling around and shouting at each other. Ugh, this isn't helping. My head hurts so bad. Strangely enough, Ritsu keeps texting me to see if my head is okay and even told me that she felt the same way when she first got drunk. Huh? I _don't_ drink alcohol. Maybe she is drunk right now and some random thoughts are running through her head. The director caught sight of me and greeted me as if I went missing for one whole year. He told me not to explain anymore for he fully understands (He grinned with his face turning tomato red. He was staring at me and I know where he was staring so I crossed my arms in front of me). He was grateful for the script too and saw how big of a difference it made when...when the barnacle boy idea of his was taken away. I shivered at the thought as I was directed to my seat. As I seated myself, I started scribbling down random words and notes on my notebook.

"Akiyama-san..? Akiyama-san? Earth to Akiyama-san?" someone poked my forehead which made me look up to him. It was Taka-san, right? I was in no mood to talk so I just flashed a small smile. "U-uh, I better go, Akiyama-san. It was nice to see you today!" he scratched the back of his head and returned my small gesture with a smile of his own. He waved a hand and lowered his head but I could see his ears turning red. He left and now I was left all alone again with my notes. It was great that there was no sign of ex. Sign of ex. Sin x. Tan x. Cos x. I should stop. I sighed and fiddled with my pen.

"You're up early today, woman,"

Speaking of the baka, he's here. Kami-sama, please make him leave. I just ignored his remark but I can't help keep myself from looking irritated. I counted off numbers from one to who knows what. This will keep him from invading my space—invading me.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

_Snob_. That snob of a hag didn't even bother to look at my direction. It just took a simple poke for Taka to get himself noticed. As I looked at that woman, I can't keep myself from recalling how she looked like with just her undergarments on. This is utterly bad. Crepes, pull yourself together! Hideo, stop! I shook my head violently trying to remove the image. It was hard but I managed to do so after a few tries.

"Hey, I meant that as a compliment, woman," I said as I went on to setting up my cameras.

"It didn't seem like one. I'm sorry. Thanks then, ex."

"You're so bitter about it."

"This is just getting even. You started calling me 'woman' or 'hag' in the harshest way possible."

"True enough," I sighed and admired how my camera was set up nicely, "don't you even blame yourself?"

"Why should I? Hmph!"

She's so difficult to understand. I looked over at her as she folded her arms over her chest in a subtle manner after noticing what I was unintentionally doing. I think I got this trait from the director. Ever since I started working with him, he would always come up to me from time to time just to whisper how humongous or amazing a particular part of a certain person is. "I just really think you should. You are older than me, that's a fact."

"Excuse me, baka? We're here to work and not have a war about the past. I've moved on so I hope you get over it as well."

"You are right but who said that I didn't move on too? Are you fond of embarrassing yourself, woman?"

"N-no! You just kept bringing it up that I assumed—"

"Assume all you want, you're wasting your time," I snickered and turned back to the direction of my camera and wiped its lens with care. I wouldn't want my fragile camera die too soon. I bought this one up as I saved money from my first few paychecks. It was pristine and even the shots it keeps doesn't even fleet from its memory.

"Listen, if you want to start a fight then let's have it after this production is over. No fights, just peace for now. If we want to make things work and to finish this production quickly then you'll have to cooperate."

I looked over at her and now she was standing up and was actually making her point. She is smart, no complaints about that. She held her hand towards me to initiate a handshake. I was having second thoughts of whether or not I will take this proposal. I weighed the pros and cons. It was mostly pros because if I don't accept her offer then I would have a harder time to proceed with my personal plan that she nor anybody else knows of. I took her hand and gave it a firm handshake as we both looked at each other's eyes directly. I recall the time when both of our pair of eyes would look towards each other with love but now it was just blank. Something forced, something disliked.

"Finally, you're getting along! That'd be easier for all of us since we'd be losing the need to fix your arguments and fights," the director said as he took his seat on the seat beside Mio's chair. She gave him a smile and I couldn't help but notice that her smile is still as perfect as it ever was—Argh, no. I was just kidding with you. Pshh! She just plays a minor part in my life now.

"Please forgive me for my misbehavior," she bowed and it slightly revealed the nape of her neck.

"Oh ho ho. I fully understand now. You've moved on, perhaps? My boy probably walked in on you. I'm sorry about that."

"Pardon, sir?"

"I just presumed you've found another man.. Unless there is a new type of insect in the modern era," he shrugged. I decided to leave the two of them in their conversation by just grabbing a piece of cloth and wiping the lens of my camera gently, his questions for her are somewhat too personal which may probably lead to him asking questions about our past. It does feel quite awkward to act as if those marks were not from yesterday which were given by yours truly. We almost went overboard as I took the opportunity. _Oh man_, the sensation of being kissed like that. It heated me up from the inside out. it would have been greater if she weren't drunk, though. I never thought that she would be the type to drink. It's either she wants to drink all her problems away or she was influenced by Tainaka-san. The director left her for a while and I decided to start a conversation. To make her lose is my ultimate goal.

"So I heard you've been drinking now." Not the best way to start a conversation when you're trying to become 'friends' but yeah...

"Baka! I won't ever drink in my whole life."

"Not even water?"

"W-water? Of course, I'd drink water. J-just not alcohol."

"Oh really? Well, I went to get the script from your house yesterday and I saw you and a guy... You guys were steaming out there. The scent of alcohol also filed my nostrils." Little did she know that that guy was me. She does not need to know. She has no right to know.

"Oh crap. It wasn't just a nightmare? Crap. Crap. Crap. Baka Mio," she shook her head and I see her having a hard time especially with her fingers rubbing at her temples. She must have caught something like a hangover or such. "D-do you know who it was?"

"Yup. Very."

"Please tell me, Akihiko-san," she said as she grabbed my hands with hers. That made me feel as of heat was rushing through me but that may just be of shock.

"N-no way. Let go of me, hag. You're infecting me with your germs."

"Using other people's lines, aren't we? That's called plagiarizing. I'll let it pass. I don't care who it was anymore. At least I'll get married, _probably_."

"Psh! You're worrying about that?" I laughed so hard at her as her face turned crimson.

"Come on! I'm 25. Ritsu has a boyfriend, Mugi's married and is about to get a baby, Asuza and Daiki hit it off well then Yui's going on a vacation with her fiancé soon, probably following the footsteps of her parents."

"You're the only eligible bachelorette of the HTT."

"Unless you also count Sawako-sensei. That makes just two of us. I mean three if you also count the bachelor, you were still part of the HTT for quite some time."

"Indeed, but I have my eyes on someone."

"You do? Then why are you clasping your hands with mine if it gets you infected?"

"Huh? Argh! Let go!" I released my hands from her as she giggled.

"Okay people! Places!" I heard the director scream at the top of his lungs which made me ponder on why he didn't use the megaphone he was holding. He is entitled to use that. He is the director and, of course, he directs. I went to my camera and got into position while the woman sat straight with a script at her disposal. I don't even get why she had to hold onto that when she's the one who wrote that.

Now, I focus myself on filming Taka and the pickle-juice girl. Well, everyone is knowledgeable enough that these scenes aren't exactly taken in order. It depends on the location. We couldn't rely on just the studio. If we do, then we'd double or triple the budget for special effects and prop-making. What we're shooting now is just the scenes done inside and outside the girl's home. The guy is somewhat nerdy while the girl is the most longed for in school. A chill went down my spine when the guy said. He said, "Um, senpai. May I k-kiss.? I mean no, uh, nevermind. It just that the law of attraction and the gravitational pull of the ea—" "Hm? I suppose I'll do it for the sake of thanking you. J-just that, right?"

_"U-um, A.. A-akihiko-san.. Are you asking for—Well, I guess one wouldn't hurt. This is the least I could do to thank you." She sighed then our eyes met. She cupped my cheek, causing me to lean forward a bit then she gave a quick peck on my other cheek. She quickly let go of my face then turned around and bid her last farewell with her back facing towards me then she went inside her home. I was in a trance. I felt my hand creep into the spot where the kiss was planted. The feelings linger as I replayed it over and over again in my mind. I slowly walked away and headed into the direction of my house. I felt my feet's pace go faster as a smile formed on my face. It's been a while since I've actually felt joy as great as this one. One thing I am sure of is that I can't wait for next week._

I think I am having a migraine. Gosh, did that really just happen? I did manage to make it through the scene but it just sounded and looked all too familiar. What's the title of this book the director wanted to make an adaption of? When the shoot was done, I went over to the woman's seat. "Hey, hag, I need to talk to you."

"What is there to discuss when you don't want any business with me, ex?"

"Oi! You owe me an explanation! I made a deal with you remember?! I even shook your filthy hand!"

"There's no need to shout. I can hear you quite well from here."

I gritted my teeth and tried to hold back my anger. She was simply pissing me off in a subtle manner. "Are you messing with me?" I said softly but the rage was still there. She shook her head to signal a 'no' then looked at me directly in the eyes.

"I am just simply stating facts." Oh really, huh? I looked at her from her head down to her toes to see any sign of her telling a lie. This made her blush for I don't know what kind of reason. She pulled on the hem of her dress. It seems she was trying to cover up the exposed skin on her leg area. My vision directed there and I raised an eyebrow. Hn, she must be crazy. Without me realizing, I was already staring and her hands were quivering. "G-get away you perv!" I received a slap across my cheek. Kami! It hurt so much! What the heck did I do wrong now?!

"What was that for?!"

"It's rude to stare and inspect a girl's body! I thought you knew that, you're not a 'gentleman' after all!"

"Hey! It's your fault for making me doubt you! I was just checking for signs!"

"Checking for signs? More like checking her out," the long-haired, Tainaka-san said as she approached us. She stuck her tongue out at me then turned her direction towards the hag. "Mio! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did this guy try to molest you and rape you like yes—Mmrf!" I covered her mouth with both of my hands. She pushed me away and balled her fists.

"You're making up stories, Forehead girl."

"Ah! I believe you are the leader of the band, correct?" the director interrupted.

"_Yessir_! We're a band that'll blow your mind especially with our millions of fans!" Tainaka-san replied.

"Um, Ritsu, you're exaggerating we haven't reached a mil—" Ha! The hag earned a jostle to her stomach! I couldn't control it! I started laughing discreetly by covering my mouth. This made muffled sounds of laughter while Tainaka-san and the director spoke. I then felt a sudden surge of pain on my foot. The hag has guts to afflict pain on me, huh? "Don't laugh so easily. You never know when you'll feel pain, ex."

"I just wanted to ask you about the script."

"Is there a problem about it?"

"Uh, no, none at all but it just seems all too familiar. Can't you just change it you little—"

"You said you'll cooperate, right?"

"Uh..." I recalled how we shook hands which is probably considered as a truce, "yes, I guess."

"See? Now don't be a feeler, ba—ka," she stated and stuck a tongue out at me.

"What was it with you and slapping me anyway, war freak? Accusing me of staring. Psh! Who's the feeler now?"

"Y-you were..! I-I swear!" she was blushing furiously but that gave me a sense of becoming infuriated.

"Listen, woman! I wouldn't even stare if you looked so hot with just your black lacy undies!"

Sheets. I spat the words out loud that I didn't even care for the fact that she was not aware of what really happened yesterday. A number of pairs of eyes were on me. Wherever I look, they were looking at us. Steam was coming out from the woman's head and it was as if her soul was taken away from her. Tainaka-san and the director were looking at me with a disapproving look. Tainaka-san pinched the hag's cheek while the she also followed suit but half-heartedly. I have to get away with this. "What? Can't a guy guess what a girl wears? I'm just a healthy young guy."

"You do have a point there, eh," Taka said with a thumb under his chin while his co-star rolled her eyes and fixed the sleeves of her shirt. She even rolled her eyes.

I could say this day ended pretty awkwardly. That event happened. I almost revealed my identity as the mysterious opportunity-taker who went to the woman's house. Aside from that, I was asked to hold onto the girls' costumes for an hour by the director while he asked me to reflect on my actions. He said it was his responsibility to make me into a 'gentleman' who actually knows what words to say and what actions to take. It was tiring. I mean, how could a guy think straight when he is asked to hold onto different types of undies. Well, none of it looked as good as the ones that were worn by the hag. I mean, a flat stomach and great assets, what else could a guy ask for?—Man, here I go again. Maybe this is her way of winning the bet. Maybe I should try being good to her? That might work? She is attracted to guys who know how to treat a girl correctly (in her perspective at least. It's going to be hard but if I had to kiss the disgusting hag again in order to win, I'd do so. The next set that we'll be going to may be a good opportunity for more of that. Oh yeah, if you were wondering why Tainaka-san was there, well, based on the rumors, I heard they were going to shoot a music video with the director. It was part of the contract for the deceitful woman. At least I'm not gonna see the rest of the gang till later on. A gang of girls might beat me up. Thank God that the other girls are out with their lovers or else they'll start the shoot, too.

* * *

**Mio's POV**

"Why do I have to go home with you anyway, Stupid Ex?"

"You're the one who wants to work professionally, right?"

"Y-yes but you don't have to do this."

"Very funny, hag. It's not for your sake. It's for the director. I don't care what this means to you, I'm just doing my job."

He looked over at me as the traffic light went red. It won't change for a while, I guess. The timer's busted but I have walked along this path before and it doesn't turn green until after 112 seconds despite the fact that only a few cars and people ever go here. The road is actually quite dark. I am thankful that the director cares but I'm guessing that one day, this person whom he asked to bring me home would actually bring us into a car crash or an accident of some sort. I'm not ready to die yet! It's been a week that we've been working together but it's the first time that he drove me. I don't even get how the director knows where I pass through when I go home. It sends chills down my spine thinking that someone of his age would be stalking each and every one of us who works under him.

"I get that point but I can walk instead. He should know that."

"Hmp! Go ahead then. Feel free to leave."

"How could I when you out the door on child's lock? I can't open the door from here."

"Listen, if you want to keep your job, you'd just be a robot and do what the director says. Aside from that, it seems to me that you want to get raped."

"I-I don't. Why would I?!"

"You pass here every single night, right?"

He started leaning closer to me and it was too close for comfort. I couldn't reply after he removed his seatbelt and put his hands on my seat's sides leaving me between his arms. He looks buff now, doesn't he? His eyes glimmer with the moonlight, too. T-that's not the point! Damn you. When does this traffic light turn to go again? I believe there are only a few seconds left, right? But based on how I counted the seconds off my head, it won't turn until after 97 seconds.

"Y-you're too close."

"If I am then why don't you push me away? See the chances of a guy overpowering a weakling like you?"

I put my hands on his chest and tried to push him but to no avail. Aside from that, if I push him too hard, the brakes will turn and we might really really crash. Then I thought of something. I know this works on him. I haven't seen him for years but I did date him for several months. "A..ki...hi..ko..kun," I said and syllabicated his name as slowly as I could. His eyes softened but it also made his eyebrows twitch. "I suggest you stop that unless... Unless you want to fall for me all over again, ex." I gave him a small smile then I believe that hit him. His cheeks turned red and he quickly went back to his seat and put his seatbelt on.

"Hn. I just wanted to make a point," he gripped the steering wheel hard. I catch him taking glances too, from my peripheral vision.

"That one won't work, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Sneaking glances," I said as I crossed my arms and looked at him directly. He focused his eyes on the road now, "that's better. You might just get yourself into an accident if you keep that habit of removing your seatbelt, not looking at the road, etcetera."

After a minute and a half of waiting, the traffic light then turned green. The rest of the ride was quiet and no one ever spoke a word. When we neared my house, he pulled the car into a full stop. Through the car's headlights, we see a figure of a tall man who covered his eyes from the intensity of the brighness of the light. He was holding a bouquet of flowers. The flowers consist of mostly roses and a letter was placed among them. Once he removed his hands from blocking his face—Gosh, oh no, please don't be..! Tachibana-kun...

"Shiki?" Akihiko-san raised an eyebrow at me as he removed his seatbelt. I bashfully nodded my head before resting my head on the headrest completely and closing my eyes, trying to think of what I should do in this situation. It would be okay if this guy won't show himself to his former best friend. Tachibana-kun might take this on a different view.

"Perv, please don't. Please do me a favor and don't be rude to him, please."

"Is he the guy you like now?"

I just remained quiet because I didn't know what to reply. I tried to like him but... Akihiko Hideo, you make it hard for me to do so. You're the cause of all my heartaches but you were also the first who gave my heart skips and jumps that were even greater than my usual heartbeat. I opened my eyes, removed my seatbelt and...oh, child's lock.

"I won't open the door for you unless you answer me, hag."

"I... I can't."

"Hmph. You were just going to say yes or no. I'll just take that as a yes, woman. Have you kissed him?"

"No..."

You don't get me, do you? I can't... I can't love him. I only have one heart and you are making it difficult for me. He stepped out of the car and just when I thought he was going to open the door for me, he didn't. Just when I thought he'll come for me...he didn't

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

"Look who we have here..Wild and rotten orange ceremony, right?" I say to the man standing before me. He inspected me from top to bottom and stared with eyes wide in shock.

"Hideo?! What the heck are you doing here?"

"Hm? What are _you_ doing here?"

"I asked first. Don't play games with me."

"Well, just bringing a girl home. Secretly hoping to steal a kiss or two. That's what I do, right? I take other people's girls. At least, that's how you view me. Your turn, knucklehead."

"I came here for someone."

"Your girlfriend, perhaps?"

"Just.. Someone special."

"I'll be returning her to you now, then," I smirked, walked over to my car and opened the door to the passenger seat. She almost came fumbling down.

"Baka! What were you thinking? I told you not to be ru—" the woman said but was cut off when I stole a kiss on her cheek.

"Mio?" Shiki said, now with his mouth agape.

"Tachibana-kun, I-I... I can explain."

"No need. These were supposed to be for you."

"We didn't even do anything! We just work together!"

"I don't trust that guy. I asked you to wait for me. I don't even know if I could trust you, too."

"Hey, hey, cut out the drama, rotten orange. There's no need to make a big fuss out of this. She already said we're just co-workers. Or are we?" I interrupted and laughed a bit as I went over to where Shiki was while pulling the hag by her wrist forcibly. She was trying to wriggle it out from my grasp. I twirled her around and made her lean towards me. Her scent was overwhelming, she just smells so good I can eat her up. I like playing the part of the big bad wolf. She must be confused by now whether she hates me or not! Ha! Hate can easily be turned to love! This is going according to plan. In just a matter of time, she'll lose and she'll lose badly.

"Oi! Baka! Get away from me!" she shouted and jostled me but I started nibbling her ear before she could hit me causing her to blush unintentionally. I wrapped my arms around her then looked over to Shiki. She was in a daze while he was in disbelief.

"Nee, woman, if you had to pick now, who would it be?"

"Release her, Hideo."

"Why? Is she yours already? I mean, look at this pitiful face. Such a shame you'll settle for this old hag, Shiki." I released her and turned around. I waved a hand as I returned to my car and drove towards who knows where.

* * *

**Mio's POV**

I hate him. I hate him. I hate him so bad I'll.. I'll... Why is it so easy to say that I hate him but so hard to actually do? He gave me my firsts—My first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first love, my first heartache. Love is never the same whenever it comes the second time around. Will there even be a different love for me?

"Mio?"

"Tachibana-kun.."

"I'd love to hear that explanation of yours now," he said as we stood in front of the entrance of my home. He stared intently at my eyes as if he was peering inside my soul. I thought of him as someone scary now. He never showed that expression. Usually, he's more of a gentleman but with a carefree and cheerful attitude. His brown eyes looked so deep as well and is clouded with darkness that does not even fit his sunny attitude.

"We are just co-workers and well, he brings me home for the sake of the director's orders. About the kiss and his touches... These were unexpected. It all came so suddenly I didn't know how to react. Tachibana-kun, please do understand that you don't even own me just yet and you don't need to worry. I won't fall for a guy like him again."

"Then why can't you just return my feelings for you? I'll give you everything, Mio. Can you at least please, please, please, please try?"

He gave me those big puppy dog eyes as if he were pleading. Right now, all I could think of is how he is the puppy and ex is the wolf who can eat me up any moment now. I have to move on. I know I do and maybe I could. Maybe I am just covered with fear. Maybe I just keep thinking of how it would be like if the old Hideo was back?

"Tachibana-kun, there is the tendency that you might just feel used. I don't want you to be that way. Remember when I told you I couldn't love you the way you want me to? I'm scared, Tachibana-kun."

He let go of the flowers and cupped my cheeks. For some reason, I didn't mind pushing him away. I didn't even dare to avoid his eyes. "Mio, if that is how it is then let me heal your heart. Give me a chance. Allow me to cover up and stitch your heart with my love for you. I don't mind getting used. In the end, you might be able to learn to love me like how you did to Hideo 7 years ago."

I find myself holding his hands with my own. Tears fell from my eyes down to my cheeks. I'll end up hurting you, Tachibana-kun. Didn't you even think about that one week that we had to consider our relationship? I shook my head but what he did next surprised me. He embraced me with his arms and kissed my forehead tenderly. He was caressing the back of my head gently and carefully. I just stood there crying as the rain started pouring down, too. My hands crept to return the gesture by hugging him back. It took around 47 seconds before he placed some distance between us. "I, Tachibana Shiki, vow to rewrite all your memories of him, Akiyama Mio."

"Tachibana-kun I don't know what to say."

"Let's make this relationship work just one more time. If it doesn't then I'll stop persisting you and I'll continue to respect whatever your decisions are. I won't even force you into loving me immediately."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Once I said those two words, he was slowly closing the distance of our lips barely even touched. Maybe it did but just for a mere second. I moved my head away from his and looked down towards the ground. Why? Well.. A promise I made back then flashed in my mind:

_"Well, I, uh..overheard that Kotobuki-san wanted to try kissing with you."_

_"She said cursing! She may be fascinated with the so-called yuri but you'd be surprised if you knew who she's been wanting to be with but can't."_

_"What's with it? Cursing, I mean."_

_"She never cursed and she often hears people around her curse. That's not the weirdest request we got from her."_

_"Hmm.. People around her? I presume it includes you."_

_"I-I know, I admit I curse out of temper."_

_"Would you kiss anybody else?"_

_"No, because kisses like that are...only for you."_

"Tachibana-kun, I don't like to fool myself," I told him as I let my hands droop down. He released me from his arms, too and merely stated, "Let's talk about this inside."

Crap. Why must I have to be so insensitive? I wanted to try but my thoughts and my memories with Hideo keep coming back to me. He held my hand and guided me inside. The lights were turned on and now I could clearly see the frown forming on Tachibana-kun's face. His eyes had sorrow in them and he kept his eyes glued on the floor. If only I could be as strong as him. If only I could learn how to move on from my past and break free from it, I would. He recovered from his breakup with Fushigi-san pretty well. He never actually gave me the details and if he really proved what happened between Hideo and Fushigi-san was more of a mutual kind of thing.

"Heh, we're soaked now, aren't we?" he said with a smile on his face. It breaks my heart to see how he's trying so hard to cheer me up. He forced himself to smile and with that goofy grin of his right now, I recall how he had walked in when Hideo and I were lip-locking. Maybe he is comparing himself to him right now. Maybe he's thinking how easy it was for me to kiss and love and do everything with Hideo. Every single day, I remind myself how the Hideo back then is now dead.

"Tachibana-kun, you can dry yourself up first if you want," I said as I went to grab a fresh towel from my closet. I handed it over to him and he gave his thanks. He pulled me close to him, though and started drying off my hair.

"I still believe in ladies' first, y'know. Hey, Mio, I just want to thank you."

"For what?"

"Reconsidering me and allowing me to snatch a one-second kiss from you. I have yet to rewrite your kissing scenes with Hideo, Ms. Writer."

"O-oi! Don't get too ahead of yourself!" I said as I feigned a karate chop over his head. That made him grin. I can only return small gestures to the big ones that he gives me. I'm sorry...

"I just want to make it clear, are we now, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend?"

That was cute of him to ask but I can't consider ourselves official yet, I want to take it slow. "Almost. Let's take it back to square one. It would be better that way," I replied with a small smile forming on my face.

"Aw, if that's what suits you then. Does that mean that the kiss in the rain wasn't counted?Oh boy.. This time, I'll win your heart for sure. You and your strawberry-flavored lips should prepare yourselves," he winked and it did make me laugh quite a bit.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

I didn't really go home just yet. I just took a u-turn and went over to the dark alleyway with the headlights closed. I watched them—the hag and the orange. They hugged and they...kissed. No...! No! No! No! Gah! This was not supposed to happen! I pounded my fist on the edge of the steering wheel. I guess the making her hate me first plan is not working out. Didn't she once say that she wouldn't kiss anyone but me?! She broke it. She broke it bad. I wanted to get out of my car but decided not to. She's moving on... And I can't accept it. That's just 'cause I hate her. I don't want her to live her life happily. I want the worst for her. I want to crush her heart and give her an emotional breakdown. This is it. I am determined to make her love me. I am determined to crush her soul.

* * *

**How was it? Thanks for reading btw! I 3 you guys so much! See you next time for the next chappie~**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's been so sooooo long since I've last updated, haven't I? I have written this chapter on a whim to what I am capable of. I've been drowning in college but now that my schedule's freeing up, I could prolly start working on this again. To my ever-loyal friends (That's you. The one who's reading it, of course), thank you for putting up with me. I hope your patience hasn't burned out yet. T^T Huhu I'm literally crying now because I think this chappie is not good enough to make up for the lost time.**

** Misaka-solsi: I'm guessing that man won't be able to face tomorrow anymore after you read this chapter :)) And you're actually right, it wouldn't be wise of me to have an agreement on when I will update now that my schoolwork turned into piles and gosh, I never felt so stressed out in my life.**

** Guest: Oh!~ That seems nice! I'll definitely listen to it. For now, I've started listening to "Sorry" by JB. I can't help but admit that it's a great song, in my opinion, at least. I gained feels from it and by listening to that, I've mustered up the courage to remember about this fic that I'm dying to continue.**

** Psihopatul: Hehe I must have been sleepy when I did that. I'll reread it and edit it up. Thank's for the head's up! :) I'm glad that we can have opportunities like this to help each other out ^.^**

**A huge shoutout goes to TigerHasGame! Thank you for that private message :) It motivated me to the extent that I'll work even if my data gets corrupted again and again and again!~**

**I just love you guys so much. You guys (hopefully) didn't leave and that certainly heals Hideo's whatnots and such :)) After this, I hope to see you all again if ever I push through with a new concept which is a Kusunoki(from TWGO)xMioxOC fic that just popped out of my mind after my friend ranted about how cool Kusunoki is.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Of Hearts and Heartaches

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

"Here!"

I held out a bouquet of flowers that I picked up from the florist this morning. I had it specially-made to the point that there would absolutely be no girl who would refuse such as a glorious photo subject such as this. Psh! That Tachibana Shiki wild orange ceremony better be prepared to hit the dumps in no time. I have the advantage in this game, even if it takes me to recall every memory I had with her just to win her heart and make her do what I please.

"B-Bakihiko! Is this some kind of joke?! Don't you have anything else to do but waste your precious time and money, making me feel so confused on what you really what to achieve with your advances. I have deciphered all of your actions and I swear this is getting fishier as the days pass by. I could honestly not comprehend your way of thinking, Baka!"

…

…

…That's it? That's how she says thank you to how much effort I put in? She doesn't even accept it. It's been a week and none of my advances are getting through. Hm… I must have been getting ahead of myself. Aha! This old hag might prefer wrinkle creams nowadays. Pfft! Just the thought of it makes me laugh.

Ouch! She hit me across the head and I bet that what we have compromised to be peaceful at work is not implemented as of the moment. "Hey! I put effort in this! I've spent so much money just to please you and all of these just end up in the trash bin!" Well, the trash bin, as in, Taka who wants to try out his luck at love but to no avail, the only one who seems to be genuinely attracted to him is none other than pickle-juice girl over there. I added, "Please, just this once. Don't think of it as a way of me trying to win back your love, hag. It's a peace offering, you feeler."

Her eyes widened in amusement and I saw her facial expressions soften for a mere minute or so. She seems to be ever-calculating and that makes the hag an old older hag. "I-is that it? I guess it wouldn't hurt but please, Akihiko Hideo-san, do not cause such scenes anymore."

"Does this mean you'll finally accept it?"

"No. Yada. Yada. Yada!"

"The heck?! You're the one causing a scene here! I did nothing but offer you a peace offering. I swear. There's nothing more than that. No more games and whatnots, just plain ol' professional stuff," I held my arms up in the air as a sign of surrendering to the enemy. Gosh. This daily stress might keep on subtracting at least a couple of years from my lifespan. Crepes, she's turning me into a senile old man.

"If you put it that way and if you're sincerely trying to say sorry then, what for?"

"What's this? An interrogation of a criminal?" I mumbled under my breath. It added fuel to the fire because it seemed like she heard it.

Just to give you an overview of what has happened these past few days, I give you two words: New Tactics. If she's leaning on towards Shiki's side then that means I'd lose the bet quickly and have no chance of getting my revenge on her. I want to win her with kindness but that's too mainstream. I'll feel like sheets if I act like the 'former' Hideo. The hag is immune to that. Can't help it. She's smart, after all. She thinks she's better than everybody, right?

The only difference of today with the past attempts of our 'reconciliation', is that we don't have much of an audience today. The whole staff and cast usually watch us every single time but this time, I timed it to the point where it's only me, her, and the surveillance cameras (which didn't seem to function today. The director deemed it well that I need privacy with my ex as he overheard me asking this witch if I could talk to her once more but this time, with just the two of us.) I could tell that she's harsher in her choice of words now that she's not holding back.

She took it from my hands and muttered a silent 'thank you'. "You shouldn't be apologizing to me, though. Shiki's the one who suffered most from your crazy antics that day."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get that done and over with in a moment," I told her as I grabbed my phone and texted him, hoping it was still his number because what I am about to say to him is utterly important. My text only needed two characters which stand for two words. Something he'll treasure, in the least. HA! It starts with an F and ends with a U. That's it. "All done, boss," I said as I hit send.

"You've… mellowed down, haven't you, ex?"

"You think? You're the only war-freak here! Now hide those or we'll 'cause a scene' as you usually say, old hag."

"Hmph! Not dropping that nickname, Bakihiko-san?"

"Heh, I can do as I please. I am just a mere nobody in your life now, aren't I?"

_Silence_.

Gotcha, Akiyama Mio.

"If you…" she started but then shook her head fervently. "I'll just.. Keep this somewhere."

"I'll place it in my car. You'll head home alone again, right? You're still a woman, anyways, and an old one at that."

"Baka! Just shut up! I won't head home immediately today. I have some things to attend to."

Wedding preparations with the Wild Orange Ceremony, perhaps. Tch. I couldn't care less. "Well, suit yourself. I won't go home immediately, too. I'll be going to a café that just around the corner. Order strawberry shortcake, perhaps, with coffee on the side."

"Erm… H-have fun, then."

"You sure you don't wanna go? I mean, as _friends_, just casually hanging out."

"I-I can't."

"Guess I'll just ask Fushi**y-san to go with me."

"That's none of my business. I'll be going somewhere with Tachibana-kun, anyways."

She muttered the last few parts to herself and glared at me. Sticking her tongue out, she crossed her arms like she always did. It has always been her habit. It takes me back to the times when she would scold me as if I were a lost little boy who came crying to his mother because a particular aunt with a big forehead would get into a fight with him.

"Hey, what if… No, never mind. It's nothing. What is your relationship with him anyway?"

"We're friends but…there's something special, I guess," she told me with her eyes glued to the ground and a tint of pink appearing on her face.

"Why don't you just go out, then?" I asked. This made her widen her eyes and her expression turned to one of hurt and pain. The agony she caused me through these years is much more worse compared to this.

"We did. We tried. It didn't even last a month. We got together after I—We got together after you and I already seemed impossible—when I got over you. Shi*, why am I even telling you this, baka."

"Crepes… This feels awkward. Yeah, you should stop."

"But wait! This is unfair! Why do you get to listen to me and I don't get to listen about your shady and unclear relationship with _that girl_?"

"Why would you care? We're not even in a relationship. We just, erm, yeah."

We looked away at the same time. "There are just things that aren't meant to be, huh," she said under her breath and rested her elbow on the arm rest of her seat. She blinked twice. _Poor girl_, crying over spilled milk. Ha! At least it doesn't affect me… right?

She blinked once more and I couldn't resist the urge to ask, "Something in your eye?"

"N-no, it's just that my contacts felt out of place or maybe there is something."

"Let me see."

Bluish-gray met with sea-green. Tilting her chin up, I tried to get a view if there is something in there. I got immersed with the sparkle in her eyes. It was tantalizing. I do see the outline of her contacts, and it was in place. An eyelash was in there, though, so I blew gently into her eye 'til it was gone.

"T-Thanks, Akihiko—"

I gave her a peck on her cheek. I drowned into my selfish desires of lust. I went and trailed my lips over to her neck and brushed over the little bite that was not so evident anymore which was also caused by me. Funny how she lets me do this to her. I chuckled after giving it a tease by pinching the said area with my lips. She pushed me away and slapped me.

"S-stop! Hey, I'm already in love with someone else. Don't try to play with my feelings anymore," she uttered as she stood up on her feet.

"You didn't even try to stop me in the first place. Don't fool yourself, Akiyama-san."

She turned her heel and headed outside. I felt kind of weird thinking how it stabbed me a bit—just a teensy bit. Gah! What the heck am I doing?! That hag better be falling for me now. I didn't even intend to hurt her (yet).

* * *

**Mio's POV**

It's still there. 1 hour, 25 minutes and 24 seconds had already passed but the stinging heat from his lips was still there. It was unexpected, to be honest. I know he just wants to play around with me and eventually hurt me. Inevitably, I couldn't seem to get my mind off of the turn of events.

I splashed a good amount of water over my face once more. It still feels hot. Gosh, I feel like crap now that it bothers me so much to the extent that I couldn't care less about the time. Tachibana-kun's coming in 13 minutes to pick me up and I'm still here contemplating on my ex.

I slapped myself hard. Baka Mio! You're over him—you're over Hideo! He's nothing more than but a jerk who came out as a darn arrogant boy who can't seem to do anything more than mess your feelings up into thinking that you still love him! You still love him!—You don't love him, I mean.

Shi*. Even I started confusing myself. I dabbed my face with a towel and decided to take my leave from the restroom.

"Um.. Akiyama-senpai, are you alright?" asked the girl lead who seemed to have been waiting for quite a few minutes outside the restroom. She's Fushigi Saaya's younger sister, right? I gave her a small smile and told her not to dwell on it. I even told her that I just felt a bit under the weather after working triple-time to catch up on deadlines and publishing deals and agreements.

I proceeded to the exit of the building and I still wonder why I was holding onto these flowers as if they were my life. Did he really mean that apology? He must have. He should have.

"Oi! Mio! I'm here!" I heard a voice calling out to me from across the street. Tachibana-kun is as jolly and energetic as ever, isn't he? He's like a restless puppy who doesn't care even if the worst case happens to him. He did feel dejected when he told me about what happened between Fushigi-san and him.

His car accelerated as the traffic light turned green. He halted in front of me and even got out of the car just to open the door for me.

"Who's that from?" he asked as he went back to the driver's seat and fixed up his own seatbelt. He locked the doors and looked around before pressing his foot onto the car pedal.

"It's from… Akihiko-san. He said he was sorry about the ordeal that happened not so long ago."

"I see. Did he do anything besides that? He didn't try to mess with you, right?"

"Nothing of the sort. You don't have to worry, Tachibana-kun." I'm sorry. I had to lie. It was indeed partially true. He didn't add salt to the wound but he somewhat triggered something to confuse my emotional stability.

"Great! I'll be sure you'll have a great time, Mio. Anyways, I bet it's about time that you call me Shiki for good. You did try before but then you stopped when we called it off so… What do you say?"

"Of course, Shiki."

"Oh my Kami, my heart!" he exclaimed as he was flustered in a crimson hue and banged his head on the steering wheel once when we reached another traffic light. He was acting a bit crazy and much more energetic than usual. An elated Shiki sure is quite a sight, isn't he?

I let out a laugh and reached out for his hand to calm him down. "Shiki, calm down. Hold yourself together!" I started laughing harder as he started exclaiming inaudible words this time. It is quite painful for the ears but as soon as he calmed down quite a bit, he started speaking an acceptable language.

"Ehgahds. Mio. Mio Mio. Mio Mio Mio. Your hand didn't help but my heart burst just at the feel of it. Y-You've got such soft hands, Mio-chan. I… I love you, you know that right? And I love you even more."

He pulled over by the café which seemed all too familiar with me. Strange how ex and I were talking about this earlier. He parked the car swiftly, but we decided to stay there to let time pass and get a glimpse of the red sky the sunset permits to occur.

"Hey Mio… I'm sorry if I acted lamely and childishly back there but I just couldn't help it. I feel at bliss whenever I'm with you and I know we're not even in a relationship yet and I wouldn't want to rush you in taking a step further but I just wanted you to know. I would never get tired of saying that I love you. It does bother me quite a bit that you still care for you-know-who but either way, I'll love you and erase whatever pain he inflicted on your heart."

"Shiki… that… that means a lot to me," I said, as I looked at him in awe as I could not express what I felt into words. Seeing his honest eyes look straight into mine, melts me a bit to the point that I want to give in even if I know that I wouldn't be able to reciprocate his tender love.

My other hand reached for his cheeks and gently guided his face towards mine, letting our foreheads meet. I kept my eyes closed and I just couldn't help but smile. "M-Mio… W-we're too close. This isn't in the friend zone area anymore."

"Shh.. Just stay still."

I held his hand close to my heart and allowed silence to fill the area. This is pleasant. For the first time, I didn't feel as scared as I was before to hold someone close like this.

"Shiki, thank you. I just don't know what to say."

"Erm, you're welcome, I suppose. M-Mio, I-I…" he swallowed then continued, "I know this is a darn bit sudden but I just wanna—"

How cute of him to have flustered cheeks as I looked at him straight in the eye. His brown eyes look as if it were a kindled candlelight under the night sky. Without further ado, I pulled him into a long and tender embrace before he could even finish what he wanted to say. I knew what we both wanted anyway. I don't regret doing it, too. I just can't equal to what he actually wants. I can't bring myself to break any vows with a certain someone without closure.

Three, five—no, seven seconds have passed by and we were still at it. I heard his seatbelt click, as if it were removed so that he could move closer to me. I placed my hands on his chest in order to stop him and it was put into a halt. It was a bit too fast for me. We just gazed at each other's eyes, without even a care in the world. It was a moment in time when I didn't think about _him_ exactly but now that we've stopped and went back to reality, I honestly wished it were _him_ and I felt the guilt inside of me grow into something worse.

"Ehem! Is this a bad time? I assume you guys are already done," said the man who was standing beside the car, peering inside the window. Shiki moved back into his seat with a flushed face and rested his head on the steering wheel. Now that he wasn't blocking the view, I figured out who it was. A man with blonde locks and sea green eyes—Akihiko Hideo.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

Well, well, look who we have here? I spy, I spy, with my own two eyes, two lovebirds under the night sky. Did she do this on purpose? I swore not to hurt her, but make her love me instead but she's making it hard for me with this guy intruding and hindering my pursuit to happiness _and _revenge.

They were in a tight embrace and I couldn't help but notice how _she _initiated it, and how _she _gathered the guts to go here with this little piece of sheet that makes me feel like crepes under the hot and scorching heat of the afternoon sun. Gah! This is all too much for me to bear.

I took my leave without even trying to ask for an explanation. I stomped my feet as I walked down the road to the opposite side of the cafe so that I would be able to get into my car, leave and ponder about what just happened.

Just a few days ago, we were in the rain with Tachibana Wild Orange Ceremony getting mad about how that old, stupid, beautiful hag—I mean ugly hag, came home with me after a long day of work. Who knew she would easily change her mind and get all lovey-dovey with a troll.

I hate that guy. But I hate _that girl_ more. That heartless woman better reflect on her actions before her Papa hears about this. Come to think of it, I'm still on good terms with her parents. Do they even know that we have already split up because of what the old hag did?

* * *

We never bothered to talk at work afterwards. If this was about the bet we made, I don't even care anymore because I get that the results would eventually lead to her winning, with me giving up, not because I've fallen for her all over again but because she's made it to another dimension wherein only she and orangehead only exist. Furthermore, I couldn't picture myself to make her fall for me after that cringe-worthy scene at the cafe's parking lot a few days back.

Even if the aforementioned paragraph shows a me that's giving up, what I'm doing today says otherwise. Today, I met up with a certain airhead, a confused expectant mother, and a perverted teacher. I couldn't believe it was so easy to gather them with just a single-lined text which says: "I want to talk about Mio." I actually sent it to them along with Nakano-san and Forehead-girl but those two seemed to be against the idea because they have already seen me face to face and got the impression that my objective in life is solely just to ruin Akiyama Mio's existence.

"Do we start with introductions, Hideo-kun?"

"Me first! Me first! Please, Mugi-chan. Sensei can go on first, too, after she's done brooding over you, Hideo-kun. You've changed quite a lot haven't you?"

If that's what she says of me, then I've got all the right to say how they have changed too. I already met with Yamaguchi Tsumugi-san some time ago so I don't have to explain how she looks like anymore. Hirasawa-san, on the other hand, like Forehead-girl, grew her hair out but hers is much longer and she settled with a side-part that has been layered to frame her now-mature face. Her style hasn't changed much as she still relies on the trends stated on magazines but she switched out her teen magazines with those that are more fit for her age, I presume. Lastly, we have Sawako-sensei who cut her hair and as far as I have heard from their chatter earlier, she is next-in-line in becoming the principal of Sakuragaoka. Attitude-wise, she hasn't changed but her physical features took a turn into showing some fine lines implying she's already around her mid-30s or so. I never really got her age so I assumed it's what it was since us, her students, are now in our twenties.

"Sensei, it would be much obliged and preferable if you would keep distance with me."

"How could I, Hideo-kun? If you've grown into a fine young man. A real-life ugly duckling, if I were to say so myself! Mio's got good eyes, doesn't she?" she pushed the rim of her glasses upwards to emphasize her point. Furthermore, Hirasawa-san gave her a round of applause. Gosh, I think that their mentality has not changed since.

"What is it you want to know about Mio-chan, Hideo-kun? I'm glad you already made your decision to win her back but I think it's too late. It doesn't have anything to do with me now that I have Kiri, but what would you do?" asked the blonde-haired beauty.

"I.. just want to set things right. I vow to win her back even if it takes me my whole life in order to do so. I've realized how much she really means to me. I feel so empty now that she's gone. Seeing her with that guy makes me cringe, hoping that I would be the one in his place," I said and looked down on the ground. It was way too cheesy but I do hope they buy it. I was a cheesy high-schooler so they must have expected much, right?

"But she does seem to have lightened up after she got together with Shiki-kun, doesn't she? Besides doesn't loving one person mean you aim for her happiness?" Hirasawa-san blurted out. She didn't help motivation-wise but her last line is pretty clever for her to say.

"Nee~ Yui-chan seems to be doing her homework well nowadays," stated Sawako-sensei.

"Hehehe, my dear tells me that everyday so the retention must have been better," she said as she scratched the back of her head with a blush on her cheeks. That's right, she'll also get married soon. I do not plan on knowing who the guy is because even if she mentions the name, he might not be familiar to me. I never really conversed with a lot of people back then so I don't have a lot of connections.

"Well, Hideo-kun, what do you think? Mio-chan is definitely a beauty and she smells so nice and contact with her seems so right, doesn't it? Tachibana-kun must not have any intention of letting her go," stated Tsumugi-san. I can't bring myself to calling her Yamaguchi-san now that she fantasizes about another woman despite being an expectant mother. Girls, I just don't get them.

"Hrm, you girls do have a point but it is not entirely possible. Besides, I still do have my forte of knowing all of that ol—Mio's favorites. It may not be much now seeing how times have changed and how she has come to hate me so much. I don't even get her. It's like I don't even know her anymore. On a side note, Tsumugi-san, no offense but don't you think it would be better if you lessen the way you fancy Mio?" I earned a giggle from her but her laughter was cut short when sensei slammed the table with her fist, almost causing Hirasawa-san's glass of ice cream to topple down. To her relief, it didn't.

"Aha! Signs of jealousy, Hideo-kun? Now I have proven you are still in love with Mio-chan! What a lucky girl she is to have men running after her. It is only but a dream to me. But... don't you think it's a bit unfair that you've only decided to win her back now when you're actually at fault. That girl's madly in love with you and even bawled her eyes out when Mugi here came to visit her in the States whereas she ranted about how you stopped replying to her mail. You stopped talking to us, too, for quite some time but we're not holding it against you. We already assumed that something's not right. Aside from that, upon her arrival, she received news that you hooked up with Fushigi-san from none other than Fushigi-san's ex. Care to explain, Hideo-kun?"

"W-what..?! What the heck are you talking about?!" I was at a loss for words. It was too much for me to take all that information in in one sitting. "Wait, sensei, are you telling me that I was the one who cut connections with her? I only stopped when she stopped writing back to me! I didn't even hook up with Fushi**y-san! She forced herself on me!" All this time I was... No, they might just be fooling me. They might have something against me, after all.

"Everything Sawa-chan said were true, actually. We were quite surprised you stopped writing to her but we still did hear from her but as much as she wanted to contact you in another way, she couldn't because she'll break the agreement you guys had of just having handwritten letters. She even quadrupled the amount of her letters to you, hoping she'll get even just a single response," added the brunette.

I unconsciously pulled at my hair as I ran both of my hands through it before rubbing my hands on my templlles. Could this be..? I just lost the battle. I still have to confirm if all these were true. If these were true, then I have no reason for hating Akiyama Mio besides the fact that she's already with Tachibana Shiki, my former best friend. Argh, why does this have to be so hard on me?

From this moment on, I knew I lost the bet. I _am_ still in love with her. I _am not _lusting for her, I am still in love with her. But if what they had given me were false, then that's another story, I'll hate her even more.

"Tsumugi-san, do you happen to know who handles the postal office of some sort around this area?"

"Hm, if I'm not mistaken, it's now called D.D. Postal Office. If you want to know if a problem had occurred in the area about how you stopped receiving those mail, you should probably ask Azusa-chan and Daiki-san. Daiki-san is now in training to manage the postal offices, actually."

"Thank you very much for your help," I said and bowed before the three of them as I stood up to rush to the man whom I believe is behind this all. I knew there was something fishy about him from the beginning. I now know why he's dating his current girlfriend. It's getting clear to me. I have to figure this out first before I try and figure out what I'll do to win Mio back.

You better prepare yourself, _Daiki Damian_.

* * *

**Woah!~ I feel so accomplished in life now that I get to update once again. If it weren't for you guys and your reviews and messages, I probably would have let this die out and forget about it, at the most. I could not even believe that ideas came rushing to my mind like a storm!**

**See you next time! I can't say any particular dare because I wouldn't want to make you wait for nothing huhuhu. I promise that I'll continue this 'til the very end. Aside from that, I wonder if I should start taking up writing classes...? Haha :)) **

* * *

**If you're curious about the fic I mentioned earlier, (The one I said I'll be doing after I finish this.) I might be writing a short segment about it in the next chapter of this fic. I'm honestly really excited about this and I hope you'll be there, too, because I'm kind of like a Koala who wouldn't let go unless I'm forced to. JK jk :)) It's up to you!**

**See you next chappie!**

**Love,**

**Erinette**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends! It's been around, er, 75 days, I think? I missed you guys so badly and here I am presenting a chapter with over 6,000 words and a preview (with aorund 4,000 words, mind you) for the KusunokixMioxOC story that I was telling you about. I believe this chapter will answer your question, -cool! As for Misaka-solsi, thank you for being super supportive and I'd be glad to see that video one day ;) You have my permission and you have my utmost thanks.**

**Mini author's rant: **

**Dear college, **

**I love you.**

**...**

**Please love me back...?**

**HAHA! Don't worry, I'm doing great! d(T^T)b Your messages, favorites and reviews help me keep on fighting and it helps me unwind after a day's work. TigerHasGame told me about his break so I was just wondering... What do you guys often do, when you're on break? (Starting this KYR:Know Your Reader campaign because... Just because ;) )**

**CHAPTER 5: You, me, and the pain I've caused you**

* * *

**Mio's POV**

"Thank you, Shiki…" I pulled him into a long and warm embrace as I wanted to convey my feelings for him now that I have my own resolve. Releasing him, I gazed into his eyes until it revealed that it was not Shiki but that Bakihiko.

"Why…. Mio, why did you choose him over me?" he said with such hurtful eyes before crashing his soft lips onto mine. I let him. I kissed back. I dug my nails on the flesh of his neck before allowing my back to rest on the car's window. Hideo, how I've missed you and your tender touches. Your sweet and calming scent, your eyes, your lips, your everything.

"Mm… Hideo, I.. I still lo—"

It wasn't long 'til he started choking me, and his glare came into view. Furrowed brows and a bitter frown, what did I expect—

My head hurt and as my eyes shot open, I saw the ceiling of my bedroom. It seems I fell off my bed not too long ago. Hideo, Hideo, Hideo! Why must I dream of him?! Well, I must admit that… it's… it's not foreign to me to have inappropriate dreams about him especially when I was studying abroad—but still! It's now a crime to dream about the man I once loved now that Shiki's hopes are at stake. (In fact, there was once a time just recently when I dreamt of him and it felt so… real. The only thing I didn't like about that dream was me being drunk and taking the first move. As if I'd really do that unless… Um..)

"Crap!" I shouted at the top of my lungs before I got up on my own two feet. As if it were on cue, my phone rang signaling my morning alarm before it rang once more with Shiki's caller ID on the screen. I picked it up and sighed for three whole seconds before I answered it.

"Ohayo, Shiki."

"Mi-Mio-chan! Your morning voice is just so.. so dreamy." It is quite hard to imagine a grown man say this over the phone but it is Shiki we are talking about. This is usual for him, especially if he is in a jolly mood, "by the way Mio-chan, err… let's just edit out the last scene that happened last night. Akihiko Hideo ruined the mood, didn't he?"

I wanted to agree but there was something beneath Akihiko Hideo's cold glare that made me want to say otherwise. The mystery that it has intrigues me. It tells a story of sadness, rage and betrayal. How cruel of me to put all the blame on him when we have shared an equilibrium of pain as of late. Putting myself in Akihiko's shoes made me realize that. I was acting as if nothing ever blossomed between us. Hating him is like being shot with the same bullet I had fired.

"Mio-chan, hello? Are you still there? You up for tonight's dinner?"

I could have immediately said yes if that last bit of last night's memory had occurred. I could have accepted all invitations from Shiki if the dreams I had were related to him and not the other guy. "Shiki, I… want some time alone today. I'm not in the mood to talk right now, I'm sorry."

"I.. uh sure. Let's postpone to another date then. I guess I'll catch you later, then. I should be the one sorry for always pestering you and meddling with your affairs. See you, Mio."

The phone beeped and I knew it was safe to shout again. I can't believe I'm wasting my time worrying about my silly dreams of _him. _My phone rang once more and I believe it was Shiki once again. I answered it and immediately said, "Anything you forgot to tell me, Shiki?"

"Eh? Did I steal his spot for morning calls?"

I cursed under my breath. An approximation of at least 15 minutes into my morning, and it's off to a really bad start. Flashes of my dream made me unable to utter anything aside from his first name.

"Hideo, huh? Reliving the past, Akiyama-san?"

"U-uh, no! I-I just wasn't able to say your surname through the phone. My mind's in a bit of a mess, Akihiko-san."

"Hm… That's okay. Hey, did my interruption cause this? You don't have to worry about it anymore, I'm over it. He won you over fair and square but, hey, want to go grab some grub together after work tonight?"

For some reason, he's coming off kind of soft today. A smile crept up my face but remembering what he said on the former part, it made me somewhat disappointed to know that I'm the only one holding these feelings up. It's stupid of me to accept the bet even if before it even began, I was—am still head-over-heels for him. "But…"

"Don't worry, Akiyama-san. We'll go as friends. I realize that my outburst from back then, you know, the one about my shirt, was an exaggeration. Oh, and, the director wanted me to discuss the storyboard with you."

"Is that so..? I guess that'll be okay."

"I'll see you, then, Akiyama-san."

"Yes, Akihiko-san."

"…"

"…"

"So, uh, I'll hang up, Akiyama-san."

"No! I-I… I mean, yes."

"You want to talk to me that much, love?"

"L-Love? H-Hey!"

"I just wanted to mess with you. Haha! I never knew teasing a hag'd be this much fun. Er, well I once did but.. Times have changed."

"Well, yes, times have changed. I better get going. We'll be late, Bakihiko-san!"

"Bakihiko? _Bakiyama_."

"B-Baka! Baka! Baka Bakihiko!"

"Baka baka baka baka baka baaaaaaakiyama!"

"Oi! You're going overboard, Bakihiko!"

"Mio, perhaps?"

His laugh was genuine. It wasn't the laugh that he let out all these weeks ago. I hung up my phone before as I felt my chest heat up and it spread through every inch of my body. It was a fleeting moment—like how we fleeted apart. I left, I wrote, he wrote back, he stopped then he cheated. In a span of seven years, he turned into a completely different person but…

…

…

…

I still love you, Akihiko Hideo.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

These heaps of laughter I let out died down as I heard my phone beep. I have yet to talk to Daiki Damian but talking with her without holding onto the artificial hatred I had for her seems so right. For the first time in forever, I had dreamed about kissing her, touching her and holding her in my arms. It was a joy and a burden as she was slipping away from my grasp. They do say that loving is letting the one you love find her happiness and it could've been better if you were that happiness, huh?

I exited the car the moment I saw the director leave his doorstep. "Sir! Sir, I have something important to discuss with you. Uh, apparently the storyboard for the next scenes weren't discussed with Akiyama-san yet."

"Oh dear me, yes, my boy! Thanks for reminding me, now that I look at my calendar, it seems I have noted that to be scheduled tomorrow morning—"

"Sir, I'm willing to do it for you tonight. I mean, uh… I would not want for it to be an inconvenience for you to wake up early and leave your house at such an early hour. Knowing you, you have complex things that you better attend to like uh knocking some sense into Taka and making him act in accordance to his character."

"Your point being?"

"Sir, just please let me have a chance to talk with her."

"Ah, now you decide to be honest, young man. If I remember correctly, the last time I asked an errand from you, it also involved her but you took your time by doing some pretty _adult_ things."

I looked at him intently in the eye, waiting for him to add something to his statement. My heart pounded, knowing that there is a possibility for him to decline my offer.

"Just to spice things up, I'd say that you better go for it, boy! Spill the details afterwards!."

I hugged him tightly before uttering my thanks and letting him do his morning routine. I headed to the studio ahead of him just to make sure that I won't be late. He'll cut my salary or even change his mind if he arrives there and I'm not ready yet.

The moment I arrive there, I get out of my car and grabbed my stuff from the trunk. I struggled in opening the door but when I finally got it, she was standing right before me with surprise filling her eyes before she said her morning greeting and offering some help out of good will, perhaps.

"It'd be rude of me to get help from a girl," I told her.

"That doesn't matter now, does it? That's too much load for a _single_ man."

"Well, excuse me for _not_ being in a relationship."

"Wh-what the heck are you talking about, you jerk. I don't get it, just give me those," I knew there was no way for me to convince her to do otherwise so I gave her a fourth of what I was carrying just to make her stop grumbling about how I don't ask for anybody's help.

"You said, 'that's too much load for a _single_ man'."

That made her stop in her tracks and her face showed how she was deeply thinking about what she did. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. We're both single anyways. But wait, you have someone preying around you, huh? So I guess you're somewhat in between."

She remained silent and dead air filled the place until we reached my station. I thanked her and as she gently put down my stuff alongside the others, she tucked her hair behind her ear, straightened her clothes and let out a sigh. Her eyes met mine and I am glad she didn't catch me checking her from bottom to top. She was wearing a dress in a shade of the sea's color and her feet fit perfectly in those inch-heeled sandals and her hair flowed freely down to her back. I never learned to appreciate her as merely a friend so it was quite awkward to not compliment her nor insult her. I was on the extremes and I really don't know how to act around her now that I've proposed…to be her friend.

"Hey Akihiko-san, about Shiki and I… I just don't think it's right for me to keep on doing this just so you know. We're not official and it's crazy but I—Sh** why am I telling you this?" she laughed as she held her cheek as she found humor in her own self.

"Am I your confidant now?"

"No way! Just forget I ever said anything. I'll see you then, Akihiko-san," she lowered her head to cover her now-pink cheeks thinking she could hide it from me like that. I chuckled as I watched her leave and resorted to chatting up with the actors and actresses and explaining the feel of the scene.

We were in a room filled with crowds but now I see her and only her after the sudden revelation during my meeting with the other members of the HTT. I struggled into thinking whether or not that I was one to be kid with but knowing them, they would not do that just because. I was their friend, too, in one way or another and real friends would try to patch things up when there's a couple involved in their group.

Where should we eat, by the way? I mean, we're having dinner tonight and I would not want to take her to the place where Shiki brought her not too long ago. She might think I'm just making her feel guilty (Er, I guess I'm guilty of hoping that that would happen but that's just a hazy vision of my fantasies)

Gah! Why do I have to be so unprepared? I was so anxious in hearing her side of the story and it makes me feel like I'm an Ace Attorney just by wearing a blue coat over my dress shirt and, like her, looking for details in every nook and cranny.

Sheets. Crepes. Fudge.—Wait crepes?! Strawberries and cream crepes! I know how to cook so that might be a great idea huh? It'd be cute to get a reaction from her as I tell her that we'd be having dinner at my house. My mom is staying at my aunt's house for the rest of the week since my aunt's a doctor, thankfully. If I weren't able to know of her arrival from the beautiful land of Sydney, Australia, we wouldn't be able to ask for her help.

* * *

"Shall we go, Oba-chan?" I asked her in a teasing way as I approached her from behind when work hours are finally done. I received snickers and stares. They did see the commotion we caused when this project was about to begin. I leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Strawberries and cream crepes are on the menu. I'm cooking you up…." I paused as I see her turn as red as her favorite fruit before I continued, "a great meal as we go about and _do _the storyboard."

She elbowed my stomach with full force as Taka and pickle-juice girl witnessed it all when they came to get their additional scripts from Bakiyama-baa-chan. The pair laughed so hard that tears were coming out from their eyes.

"Hii-kun, you never learn. Pfft! Hahahaha!" Taka said as he slapped my shoulder before he and pickle-juice girl (Whose name I honestly forgot. I just know she's a Fushigi) went toward the exit together. Hmm? They must be spending more time together to work on their chemistry. The next few scenes do include one that's pretty intimate.

"We shouldn't waste any time, Bakihiko. I wouldn't want us to exceed the eighth hour of the night and it's already 13 minutes past six."

"Very conscious of time, aren't we? Let's go, then."

I calmly exited my car as we arrived at my home—the destination for our meeting. I planned on opening the door for her but she had already done it herself and was already standing beside me, awestruck at the sight of the house. She must have thought about the last few moments that we spent together here seven years ago. I did, too, honestly, now that I have brought her here.

"Should we get in or are you going to keep staring at my house like that?" I asked and I made sure that a hint of annoyance was present in my voice. I wouldn't want her thinking that I had a change of heart in a single snap. It'd be weirder that way and we won't get to talk to each other as we did on the phone this morning.

"I was just waiting for your 'go' signal, Baka!"

"Sheesh! There's no need to be so harsh about it." We glared at each other for a while before I went and unlocked my front door. I led her to my room despite her objections and she gave in when I said that it would be more convenient that way since all my stuff for work, including my laptop was already in there. She was the guest so she had to do what the host says, right? -Another pro in holding our discussion here. I told her to wait as I went to cook our dinner. She obediently agreed as she opened up her own laptop and typed away like all workaholics do.

* * *

**Mio's POV**

Nothing much has changed, even here in his bedroom. U-uh we haven't done anything before besides kissing and hugging so please don't misunderstand. We even held a study session here with his friends who caught us being all sweet and mushy underneath the table.

If there is one thing I could say that has changed…Then that would involve the pictures of us. His small bulletin board used to be filled with not only reminders but our memories together. His table used to be filled with post-its I've written to him in-between classes and practices. We were the sweet couple that people would find to be so attached to one another like two peas in a pod.

Looking around, a small box peeked right underneath his bed. It would be rude of me to peer in and let my curiosity get ahead of me. One thing is for sure, the pieces of his room that I was looking for were in there. It's more than enough for me to read, "Before She Left", on the cardboard box to know that he has put all his feelings aside and move on unlike me who's quite pitiful of hoping he was still the way he was before.

I sighed before I started tapping the keys on my keyboard and preparing myself physically and mentally for a long night ahead. Storyboards are not something to kid around with. Each sequence must be studied in order to have the desired results. Besides that, being a writer as a profession would be equal to countless of deadlines either self-made or not. I also have to worry about my sideline of playing my dear Erizabesu.

23 minutes have passed and Akihiko-san came in with a tray in hand. "You seem pretty comfortable down there on the floor, ne?" he said as he set the plates filled with strawberries-and-cream filled crepes that filled the room with its sweet aroma. Funny how I used 'filled' thrice in a single sentence. It does not matter since I'm only narrating this inside my mind. If he were hearing this now, he would probably make fun of me but slowly and slightly, I have seen some changes in him after the incident of him finding me and Shiki having a talk in his car.

"It does feel a bit like home working like this. It's relaxing, somehow," I managed to say to explain myself without overreacting.

"This could have already been your home if…"

Silence. No sound was heard aside from him shifting his feet to face my direction. He started to laugh—a forced laugh before he went and closed the door and said, "If you bought it, that is."

I managed to let out a few laughs of my own before he invited me to joining him in eating dinner. He has always been this independent, hasn't he? Come to think of it, it's only him and his mom living in this house. I haven't heard of the details but his mom is…quite ill.

We said our thanks before the meal and I grabbed my fork and started slicing my way into the pillowy folds of the crepe. The cream oozed out with a tinge of pink coming from the strawberries that came with it. My fork easily made its way through and as I brought it up to my mouth, I saw him watching intently at the corner of my eye. "Akihiko-san, won't you start eating as well?" I asked. I was quite conscious and it felt eerie to have someone watch me in that manner as I eat.

"Er, yes, of course. I was just in a bit of a daze, that's all," he grabbed his fork but his eyes were still glued on me. Without further ado, I had my first bite. I indulged myself in the sweetness of it as it garnered a delightful sensation in my mouth that screamed nothing but perfection. I loved it and I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't want to eat any more of it. "How was it, Akiyama-san?"

"Oishiii!" was all I managed to say as I got lost in my thoughts. His future wife would have been so happy. His future wife would have… Yada! Yada! Yada! Baka Mio!

"Something the matter?" I shook my head and continued eating my share quietly. "Hn, you really do love that now, don't you? I could even recall how much all of us knew that you liked those flavors without you saying that you did. Everyone gave way and it made us glad to see you happy."

"Arigato, Akihiko-kun, I already knew about that and it makes me feel so nostalgic and I still can't believe that seven years had already passed since then," I told him and looked him in the eyes. I giggled at the sight of cream messily tainted on his cheeks. I set my plate down the table and went towards him to wipe off that cream off his face with my thumb. "I never knew a grown man would still allow himself to be a messy eater," I said with a laugh and his eyes turned soft and serious as he grabbed my hand and licked the cream off of it. It was quite unexpected but it did feel warm. "A-Akihiko-san… You should continue eating if you want us to get this job done immediately."

"Ah, right. Would you mind if I get changed first? You could start working ahead of me while I finish up."

I went back to working on my laptop as I occasionally take sips from my glass of water. I heard him stand up and head towards his closet which was directly in front of me. He started unbuttoning his shirt, does he not see me? I tried my best to just keep looking at my screen by lowering my head but taking glances at him and his well-built body were inevitable. I unconsciously stared for ten whole seconds before I shook it off and worked.

"You know, I noticed that 5 or so seconds of pausing," he said without even a shirt neither over his head nor in his hands. He started walking towards me and meeting my gaze as he waited for a reply from me.

"I was just pondering over the facts of the storyline, Akihiko-san," I simply replied. I swallowed at the sight of him in this close proximity of ours. He reached over his plate and that gave me a good view of his biceps flexing and contracting before he settled into sitting beside me. Kami, why do I become a perverted woman when I am with him?

He forked it all down except for the cream. Never knew he wasn't that much of a fan of cream anymore. I had my eyes glued on my laptop screen for I know that if I meddled with his business, it would only become worse.

"Akiyama-san, why won't you look at me?" he asked as he closed my laptop and set it aside with his free hand.

"There's no time to goof off, Bakihiko-san. You even said it yourself that we would talk about the storyboard, did you not?" I glared at him but his face and his stance remains unchanged.

"I didn't say we would talk about it. I said we would _do_ it," he told me sternly and shoving his plate close to my face as if it were a weapon of some sort.

Crap. I missed a detail of our conversation and now it made me realize that he did say that to our actors and actresses. "B-but this isn't even included in it."

"Look again, the director gave me a copy and said it would be the storyboard that we would be following," he gestured over to his laptop and the director's chart was there with what he said being a newfound truth. "Oops, my hand slipped. It is quite convenient that you're there, Akiyama-san. Nothing would be wasted," he said as the plate tipped over, letting the cream and strawberry syrup fall down to my neck and dripping towards the direction of my chest.

"Sh**, Bakihiko-san, what the heck would you do that for?" I said as I pushed him away and attempted to wipe it off with a couple of tissues he provided for us. He set his plate down and looked around, probably wondering what he should do.

"Let me clean you up, then," he told me as he started licking my neck and giving occasional kisses that accompanied it. I wanted him off me so I placed my hands on his chest and planned to use force but then I recalled my dream and that prevented me from getting the strength to push him away again. I realized then that his chest was bare and I felt his heart beating tremendously.

"Akihiko-san, please," I said as I hesitantly and gently tried to get him off me.

"Please what?"

I couldn't bring myself to tell him to stop now that I honestly…started to like it. He has me memorized. My chest tightened and it felt hot. I want him to keep on going. I want to feel his lips on mine.

"You're all clean, let's get to work then," he said as if it were no big deal to slobber me with his saliva. I excused myself for a moment and got myself clean like a normal person would before heading back beside him but making sure I was around a meter away.

We discussed normally while exchanging ideas with some occasional laughter echoing throughout his room. It was as if the earlier event had not happened at all. It was a silent agreement not to bring it up as professionals working under the same industry.

"Now this is the good part—the confession, the part that I wanted to do," he told me as he pointed at the 8th panel of the storyboard. We have been talking for minutes, or probably already an hour. I can't seem to count time as well as I do when I am conscious of him (and note that he refused to wear a shirt, complaining that it's pretty hot).

"Pardon?"

"Don't you think it's boring to just talk about this stuff when you could go ahead and trying doing the part? Is this what you always do with the director when preparing for a major shoot?"

"Actually, we just talk through it. I usually do most of the talking and we finish in a matter of minutes for he couldn't stand being cooped up in the studio for too long."

"Then to make this meeting memorable, let's start doing the rest of the panels instead of discussing them blandly with no excitement."

One thing's for sure, this Akihiko Hideo is so transparent that maybe he was actually annoyed with me way back then but was stuck with me so when he found an opening to hit on Fushigi-san, he took it. Fushigi-san and I are somewhat friends now, surprisingly, but it seems she's angrier at Shiki for some odd reason than she was with Akihiko-san or me.

Approximating the time, I believe it's already 11 minutes before the clock strikes the 9th hour of the evening. We both are getting kind of drowsy after being drained by waking up before the 5th hour of the day as to not be late for the ever-changing call times.

"Hm… Fine then."

"So the eight panel's the confession right, Akiyama-san? Since we both would not want to talk about being in a relationship, let's talk about confessions of things we are guilty of. You start."

"I'm guilty of just wanting to sleep in, like how any other person would do."

"Playing safe, _senpai?_ But that is quite true for me, too. I'm guilty of resisting the urge to touch somebody."

"_Perverted man_, you've got guts to say that."

"It's true! I've been deprived of it for years ever since you left. I even planned to settle as a monk!"

Laughter filled the room but if that was an honest confession, something just doesn't fit in. Shiki told me Akihiko-san made out with Fushigi-san and some other girls and it was not a one-time thing that was caused because he was drunk. He said he was sober. I don't know whom I should believe between the two of them; so, for now, I shrugged it off.

"My turn?" I asked and received a nod from him. I accepted the challenge of saying daring confessions, "I'm guilty of kissing somebody else besides you—"

"Shiki, right?"

I shook my head before saying, "Shiki and I never kissed. Before Mugi got married, she went to visit me in the States and she got drunk and asked me to forgive her since it's the only time she could fulfill one of her weird desires to taste my lips. I couldn't object even physically since she was too strong."

"Did you like it?"

"E-Er.. I… It didn't last long so I couldn't judge whether or not I liked it! But I would never want to do it again, I tell you. Speaking of being drunk, I believe there was a man who went to my house that day and we sort of… I'm not sure. It was hazy. I said two confessions so you should, too, Baka!"

"Sheesh! I never asked for two and you get your temper up. It's quite interesting, though. Yamaguchi Mugi-san didn't tell me about that when we met by pure coincidence, technically speaking, she kissed you and you didn't unless you tell me now that you kissed back. Hm.. what to say? I guess I'm guilty of hating Fushigi-san until now. I just can't force myself to not be angry at her ever since she forced herself on me after she and Shiki broke up. I never knew the reason why but it bothers me why you and Shiki never kissed. What were you doing at the parking lot before?"

"Only our foreheads touched and he respected my decision not to kiss him. But, hey, that's just one confession. I won't say anything else unless you say another."

"Huh, well, I don't know how you'd react but I'm guilty of being _that guy_."

"That guy? What do you mean? Please, enlighten me, Bakihiko-san."

"That guy who went to your house to come and get you and the script and getting all tangled up with you and your black lacy underwear—"

"Do you really have to go in detail? I honestly already had a hunch that it was you," I said as I looked away and felt my cheeks heat up in the moment. I recall finding that piece of information when I looked back at the shirt I threw in the bin and found it to be his size and his scent still lingered on it. I…honestly kept it. Ritsu also filled me in with the details but I wouldn't want Akihiko-san to know that I am now aware of the events of that day—the day I swore never to drink alcohol nor leave the vicinity without double-checking if the water bottle is mine or not.

"Oh, you did? Were you aware that you were shouting 'Hideo' and 'love' and 'baka' every single time that day? You're not mad about it or anything?"

"Oi! I said not to go into detail, perv! I was mad at first but I realized that I was partly at fault. I accidentally drank a lot of alcohol and I was… the one who made the first move, right?"

"Right."

"Do you not have some tact?" I asked as I glared at him but he pretended not to hear the question.

"It's your turn, Bakiyama-baa-chan. Say something about me. I said something about you and it was embarrassing for me to admit, baa-chan."

"I admit that I still…" this only forced my face to turn redder if it were still possible. I took a deep breath before saying, "I still dream about you from time to time. There, are you happy?"

"What kind of dreams are those, perhaps? Kissing me, hugging me, being wed to me?"

He laughed so hard but I made sure not to make it obvious that he hit the mark. "In the recent one, you tried to kill me."

His laughter died down and he reached for my hand as his eyes turned soft, "I'm sorry… Is that why you couldn't push me away earlier?"

Our eyes met, and for a moment, I was being pulled into the pools of sea-green that I see in front of me. His hand was warm and it definitely felt right to feel his hand on mine without any intention of hurting me. His apology was sending a thousand words into my mind and that was all I needed to hear to not get all tensed up whenever he's near.

"Akiyama-san, I'm guilty of wanting to win you over again. I'm guilty of wanting to call off the bet and go back to the world where there was an 'us'."

This made me tear up both in pain and in happiness. I never saw this coming. All this time, could we have been fooling ourselves and forcing ourselves to hate on each other just because of the time we could have spent together were lost? "Akihiko Hideo, I'm guilty of loving you so so much, it hurts. I never did stop loving you but I just couldn't let go of my grasp on the pain I felt when you stopped replying to my letters," my tears fell down my cheeks as I placed our interlocked hands over my heart.

"Funny how you also said that in my dream when we were at Tsumugi-san's villa. Regarding the letters, weren't you the one who stopped?"

My eyes widened, "That dream… wasn't a dream. And the letters, I never stopped and I was drowning in my own tears after a year of not receiving a single letter from you," I cupped his cheeks and he moved closer to wrap his arms around me, the way he did before but this time, it was tighter and stronger as if he wouldn't want to let me go ever again.

"Can we go back to the way it used to be?" he whispered into my ear, making me smile. Nothing else crossed my mind aside from the want and the need to say yes.

I let my mouth go over his a couple of times then our foreheads touched. I said "Yes" seven times and giggled at the thought that we never actually broke up but just had a huge misunderstanding amongst ourselves.

We stayed like that for an ample amount of time which I knew was around 3 minutes and 47 seconds before I pinched both of his cheeks and said, "Now let's get back to work, Bakihiko-kun!"

"Now aren't we already working? Can't we just do the same thing as we were in your house when you were drunk? Or continue where we left off then and you know… Nee~ Work with me ex," he said in a pleading and teasing tone that made me flush out of embarrassment.

"B-Baka! We won't do anything more than that 'til after we…"

"Get married," he said with honest eyes. He tucked my hair behind my ear before leaning in to kiss my cheek.

We worked all night.

Fits of laughter and giggles spread across the room.

As well as exchanges of "I love you's"

We drifted off to sleep peacefully but…

As we awakened in each other's arms, the caller ID flashing on my phone brought us back to reality.

**Yay! So that's it for today's chapter! I hope to see you again soon (ASAP, if possible haha!) Thanks for being awesome, you guys. I would never have continued this if I lost my inspiration (Subtly saying that my inspiration is you hihi) I hope this was sweet enough for your Valentine's Day ;D If you would want to see the preview, please read on! No one's stopping you. In fact, I'm urging and encouraging you to read it~**

* * *

**PREVIEW**

**Kusunoki's POV**

"_S-Senpai.."_

_My ears perked up at the sound of a young maiden's voice. It was weird. I know this voice full well. This is the voice of the woman that I fancy. A voice known by many, adored by many—but not to the extent of how I adore her. Yes, I am a woman and now I find myself in a situation that includes skin contact which is normally that of a wedded man and woman._

_We were bare-skinned. My fingers were intertwined with hers; her back was in contact with my chest, my lips brushing her ear, my arms wrapped around her waist. It was an unlawful sight. Forbidden love could never have been this sweet. _

_I took a whiff of her scent. It is truly delectable to the extent that it could strike up pheromones of both male and female. That is, I am part of the latter, and it is a disgrace to my family name as the heiress of both the Kasuga dojo and corporations._

"_Y-Yes, Akiyama-san?"_

"_Kasuga-senpai… you're…"_

_I waited patiently for whatever she has to say. Indecisively, I was silently pondering on whether I should already let go of her or not. In fact, it is a school day today and it—_

"_You're slacking off! This is unlike you!" This took me aback, she was now facing me with her hands grasping on my hair, intentionally hurting me. Eerily, her voice changed into that of my father's._

* * *

I jolted upright only to feel pain throbbing at the area where my hair was clenched and pulled. It was… a dream—an impossible fantasy, even.

"Kusunoki, did you hear me?!"

That booming voice went directly into my ears. My father really was there, standing by my bed, with his hands balled up into fists. He sighed and shook his head. He did not even bother to hide his disappointment. Nevertheless, I need not expect more now, do I?

"Yes, I did, Father," I replied, with a calm tone that would never cease to change, "I apologize for wasting precious time which I would have had devoted to my training. I will take responsibility to fulfill whatever punishment you may have in store for me."

"U-Uh, Kusunoki, it seems you're being too hard on yourself. You're still a girl and my daughter, after all," he said with his head down low. What is with this sudden change of heart? Hm… He probably had already reflected on his actions after Mother accused him of being too rough on all his pupils. "Anyways, Kusunoki, I'll give you, er, a day off today. You're sweating bullets. Nightmares still get you, huh?"

He turned around and walked away as he scratched the back of his head. I looked over at the clock and it was already 5:12 in the morning. It was roughly past an hour and a quarter of when I usually get up. I had never committed a mistake like this ever since I was in the first year of middle school. Perhaps I do need to unwind a bit later. School does not start 'til 7 in the morning but I have to be there and make my rounds for some council work before the bell. I am, in fact, the Vice President of the Student Council and I should not ruin the clean image that I have built for myself at school, at home, at work and at the dojo.

It was truly immoral of me to dream of a filthy situation. It was not a first. If that dream were that of a maniac's, that is, in fact, a man, then it would not seem less likely to occur. If my father, my late mother, and my sister were to know about this, I would be a laughing stock, disowned, even.

My feet now made contact with the warm, fuzzy carpet of my bedroom floor. Rarely had I ever used this room and rarely do I have dreams that appear so vividly in my mind as I wake. Rubbing the sleep off my eyes, I now make way towards the comfort room to prepare myself for the long day ahead. Only this time, I was quite unsure of how to face it as my mind was boggled by a constant thought: Facing Akiyama Mio.

"Milady, you should not wander around town by yourself," said one of the family chauffeurs available. It was his daily routine. Once I take a single step out of the door, he would constantly remind me of how dangerous the world is and how he could just take me to the academic institution that I attend by car. He always flinches after receiving a single glare and takes back what he says immediately after.

I have walked these streets several times and no sign of danger has shown since. I do worry that it is always eerily quiet at night, as if someone was watching every move that I make—not that I do not know the source of it. Hm… They have probably sensed that I would want to sneak out late at night, thinking I abhor this meddlesome life, when in fact, I don't—I believe.

* * *

I arrive at the school gates surprisingly early. Being lost in my thoughts must have made me change into a quicker pace. A sigh escaped my lips as I enter with a kitten in tow. It never fails to follow me wherever I go, it seems. I once tried to get rid of it, but I have learned to accept it fully and take care of it.

I strolled through every hallway, making my rounds as usual. Only this time, not a single student besides me was around yet. My feet turned to a halt as I come across the classroom of 2-1. It is her present classroom, my former classroom.

I find my way to where I assumed was her seat. She was always seated here whenever I pass by, hoping to get a glance of her without striking up suspicion. I now have confirmed that this is hers as a notebook and a pencil seemed to have been left behind intentionally judging from the way it was organized on the provided compartment for each desk. It may be impolite but I could not resist the urge to be seated and view the room on how she perceives it. I took a slight peek inside her notebook to find how organized her thoughts are, with occasional doodles of hearts and notes. This is already becoming rude of me so I put it back the way I found it.

I rested my head on the desk and the kitten followed suit (I have not thought of a name for it yet so let's settle with Neko-chan, for now.). It is highly doubtful that I would succumb to drowsiness and fall asleep here on her desk. At least, the message I have received on my mobile phone permitted me to have a valid reason as to why I am here. The Student Council President informed me to tell Manabe-san to go and meet her as soon as possible, and that she should proceed to the Student Council room with me to fulfill the Student Council President's wishes.

I question the fact that she could have sent this to Manabe-san instead of me for efficiency of deliverance of the instruction.

"[Kusu-chan, I saw you in classroom 2-1, btw (- ^ w ^ -)]" said the following message. I quickly propped myself up and inspected my surroundings. Her presence does not seem to be within the area as of late. She had left without pruning her way into my business. She does not have the need to, anyway. She already knows about how I feel about Akiyama Mio, due to her being my confidant and all.

I caressed the head of my little kitten. Such a weakling who may be useless to me but this kitten… made me accept what I truly wanted. Seeing it purr and fall into a slumber made me want to do the same. I do have spare time to hit the sack. I had sleepless nights thinking of her. Five minutes won't hurt, and my body clock surely would cooperate in waking me up when I wanted to.

* * *

"Mmrgh… You've woken up earlier than I did, didn't you, Neko-chan?"

With lidded eyes, I reached out and traced my little one's cheek and bring it close to me so I could brush my lips and cuddle it like I usually do. It was late when I realized that it was not fur but skin as soft as petals that received my affection.

"Kyaa! Sakuragaoka's Cold Sapphire Queen kissed the Moe Princess' cheek!"

_Eh?... But isn't it too early for anybody else to arrive?_

I opened my eyes to see Akiyama-san wide-eyed while kneeling in front of her desk with Neko-chan in her hands. Her face was too close, and my lips only inches away from hers. Is this a dream too?

I immediately pulled away, unable to contain myself from having a flustered face that was beet red. Akiyama-san looked away but it was enough for me to see a tint of pink spreading across her cheeks.

Disregarding the girls who were screaming in glee, I hastily stood up, got my kitten, and told Manabe-san (who thankfully had just arrived) that Sokabe-san needs her before I left. My bag was already in the Student Council room so I need not worry about it. I do have to make a stop there before making my way to my classroom.

* * *

"Had fun, Kusu-chan?"

"Sokabe Megumi, I should not have entrusted a vital piece of information of my life to you," I replied as I closed the door behind me. I left ahead of Manabe-san, briskly walking towards this room so we have an ample amount of time to discuss this turn of events.

"Eh? Are you blaming your dear closest friend for giving you a moment of your life? Akiyama-san is cute, though. I just can't help but be excited as the president of her fan club. Your picture was already posted up in our database that's why I knew. Spill the details, how did it feel?" she gestured towards the sofa whereon we both sat.

"U-um, it was…" I started to say while unconsciously placing my fingers over my lips.

"Delectable, wasn't it?"

"How filthy are you to think of such a delicate surface as if it were a delicious pastry that only the best chefs can offer, Megumi. Her milky complexion is in no means of my interest."

"Ironic, Kusu-chan. Just plainly ironic, don't you think? You have nothing else to hide. You've already told me everything about her. In fact, she's often the main topic of our conversations."

"I believe that I do agree with your opinions but—"

"You still want to change, yada yada yada. Just accept it and they'll accept you. The engagement's called off already isn't it?"

"_In the process_ of being called off. Father's having second thoughts. If he knew the whole truth as to why I greatly despise the engagement then he would not agree for sure!"

"Didn't he already hear you scream out her name when your fiancé attacked your neck with kisses? That was hilarious! He didn't even notice her gender because you automatically address everyone within the premises of your household with '-kun'! Haha!"

* * *

"_Kusunoki, are you guys really dating? Ichijou Riku-san here keeps on telling me how you refuse to accept his affections!"_

"_But Father! Is it not only right for me to keep my purity and take my time into developing some sort of liking for him? I am flabbergasted at the thought of-"_

"_Here you are again with your darned excuses, Kasuga Kusunoki! How can you be an heiress if you do not know how to go into accordance to what's best for the company?!"_

_My and my father's argument ended at that. It took me a span of three days to gather up the courage of allowing my fiancé do what he wants. I was physically and mentally prepared into having my first kiss by a man I do not love. If father witnesses an act such as this at least once then he would not have any complaints directed towards me anymore._

_It was a sunny afternoon when it all happened. Ichijou Riku—my fiancé, and I were walking side-by-side at my home's garden. I believe that my father, who was watching from a room at the second level, was already quite proud at the sight. Our home has been equipped with surveillance cameras for as long as I can remember and the ones placed outdoors had the feature of catching sound waves, too._

"_Kusunoki, why don't you even take glances at me? We're supposed to be lovers, don't you get it?!" he hissed quietly. I am sure he is aware that we are under surveillance at the moment._

_I ignored his petty little remarks and that arrogant attitude of his. I continued walking and icily glared at him. He did request some glances from me, did he not? In a snap of a finger, his rage grew worse and he pushed me towards the wall. I would be a disappointment with a possibility of being disowned if I had fought back against his will._

_His coarse lips traveled its way from my jaw to the surface of my neck. I am holding out longer than I expected myself to be and it helped to imagine that she was the one doing it instead as I kept my eyes closed (If only his lips weren't too rough, it would have been the perfect fantasy of having Akiyama-san reciprocate my feelings)_

_He settled on a spot on my neck and I gave way to make it realistic. He started biting down and inflicting pain that most couples would be happy to receive but not me. His teeth sank deeper and deeper as he heard me screaming in agony which seemed to be music to his erotic ears. It was only when it was too much too bear that her name escaped from my lips._

_He was taken aback. He stopped pursuing my neck and kept his distance from me with eyes that were filled with a tense and questioning emotion with a mix of anger and disgust. "Akiyama-kun? K-Kusunoki-san, there must be some sort of mistake. Who is that man who managed to grab your attention from me? I am about to be your husband in a couple of years, or even months then you… you reveal this vital piece of information. What kind of woman are you?!"_

_He stormed off and I lowered my head in shame. I thought I prepared myself for this. I thought pretending would get me my way out of this wretched mess but I was wrong._

* * *

Since then, my soon-to-be ex-fiance had known his place. He made sure that he and I had distance and he never bothered to take a chance on making a move on me again. In the first place, I already knew that he had no genuine feelings for me aside from wanting his family's corporation be joined with ours and since he is the male party of this transaction, our family's corporation would be under his and not the other way around. I hoped for Father to understand that fact as well as he would risk his reputation and position for people like them.

That was also the day when he started treating me as he did this morning. Making remarks that I am a girl. When it comes to Akiyama-san, my longing and fantasies about her have grown since that day onwards.

"Sokabe-san, what if she finds out about the truth?"

"I hate it when you start with the 'Sokabe-san', something serious always comes after. Just call me Meg, Kusu-chan. Well, who knows? What if she feels the same? She does think that animals are boys and it would be a waste of a good figure with great features to grow old without a lover. To be honest, I'd go for her, too, if not for my loving boyfriend whom I love so deeply," she gushed. But with her, I know Akiyama-san always comes first as well. She would never have put up a fan club if she had not cared nor adored her to that extent.

"If you were in my place, what would you have done?"

"I would have gone with the flow and be honest. I mean, just think hard about it. It's not really an impossible feat for her to be actually…"

"Bisexual?" I shook my head and chuckled at the thought. Someone as feminine as Akiyama-san? Aside from that, I would not want to drag her into this mess I am in. Father would only disapprove and my older sister would think of me as a laughing stock and bring up how I used to be gentler when I was younger. If she had not stopped training and continued, she would have been a far better heiress than I would be."

"But look at you! Who couldn't resist your icy charm?" I opened my student handbook which was wrapped in a slip-on plastic to keep it neat and free from the elements that would cause dust and folds around the edges. Honestly, that was not the only reason. It also kept my beloved's picture in place. I'm afraid I'm testing my luck at the belief that said that if you keep someone's picture in objects that are important to you, they may consider making you their significant other. I shut it closed and kept it inside the pocket of my blazer where it is safe and secure from pairs of curious eyes. Three knocks were heard at the door and it was slid open immediately after, revealing Manabe-san whose eyes looking directly at us with an intense gaze. She sighed and muttered about how it keeps her calm to have a taste of something normal once in a while. It must be tough for her to be closely-related to a member of the Light Music Club. She has told us some stories and believe me, it's a never-ending chatter about what I find quite fascinating.

"Excuse me; am I interrupting a conversation that even I must not hear? Sokabe-senpai, you do have to talk to me. I can't help but bring light to the fact that the school bell's about to ring any minute now," said our kouhai who seemed to have run some errands before heading off here. She would have gotten here much sooner if she went immediately after I did. Another probable case would be her standing by the door and eavesdropping (though it is highly unlikely for Manabe-san to do that)

* * *

A warm glow of red set inside the school's dojo as today's practice ended smoothly, as usual. These students have been growing quite well in the discipline department but when it comes to sparring, it's another story, but they really are trying. I often stay behind but the girls that were assigned to do the clean-up today told me that they can handle it. Unbeknownst to them, I hear their soft chatters and murmurs of, "Let's give her and 'Neko-chan' time to spend together! It was so cute my heart can't even handle it!"

"I do feel kind of jealous, though. I want to be in either of their places."

"Nee~ Do you think Kasuga-senpai will develop feelings for Akiyama-san, or the other way around? Or better, both parties will!"

_It's too late. I already have feelings for her. _I cleared my throat, which caught their attention, but before they can even speak a word, I had already left the vicinity. I wandered around aimlessly, planning escape routes if I am found out to be sneaking out late to investigate the abounding silence of the night.

* * *

I arrived home after around an hour or so. The darkness was just about to set in and the moon had become quite visible in the sky. The wind blew a crisp and fleeting sound that I have always longed to hear. It was a sound that only one could hear in the silence. I meditated on my own in our family dojo but disruptions were inevitable as I replayed the scene from this morning unconsciously. Why did I start to love her? No one knows—even to me, it is a mystery that I plan to unfold.

The night sky fell darker and quieter as I was now in my room, making the last preparations of my stake-out. I made sure to keep my door lock and my bedroom's light open and an artificial silhouette of me can be found across the walls. I had done so by cutting out a piece of paper small enough so that when I attach it to my study lamp, it would project a realistic illusion that only a pair of eyes that focuses on detail could see through that image.

I grabbed my stuff and looked at my reflection. I was wearing a dark set of clothes—a pair of black jeans matched with a navy blue long-sleeved shirt which would have gave me off if I missed the part of flattening out my chest with a roll of bandages. I had to do this, just in case I was on the run and they would be looking for a girl. I wore a cap to hide my hair which might give me off in the process. It was tied up in a low ponytail, with the length tucked inside my shirt. I took a few deep breaths and I was ready to go.

I was in luck to escape as the guards who were supposed to be in watch were in a deep slumber and I already memorized the areas that each surveillance camera covers. It took away the time and the effort that was originally needed to leave. Once I was out, I immediately gained ground and ran towards the direction of a scream.

For some reason, my heart pounded with worry and my mind was filled with nothing else but accomplishing my task. I found myself taking a turn into an alleyway only to find her and her bass guitar scared for dear life. She sighed when the rats have dispersed back into their homes. Looking at me now, she was frozen in place, as if life was sucked out of her.

I lowered my cap and moved closer, "I-it's okay, I do not intend to harm you. I was just out on patrol," I told her with a deeper voice. It calmed her quite a bit but she was still looking at me suspiciously. I can't blame her. I do look kind of sketchy and shady in this getup.

"Get her! No info was given yet but one of them seems to be of the Kasuga household!" I heard someone shout. They may be pertaining to me; I just have to be alert.

"Uh, hey,er…" I acted as if I did not know her and it seems she bought it by raising an eyebrow at me, "I know you don't want to get caught into this mess so could you please cooperate with me? We should leave the premises immediately."

"Baka! Why should I go with a stranger like you?!" she shouted with a quivering voice. She's scared and I hate to see her like that.

"H-Hey, I'm sorry. There's no need to be furious, young lady," I said as I went and grabbed her hand. From a small gesture like that, her eyes widened, as if something crossed her mind. I see flickers of light coming through from behind her, if it were directed at us, it would seem as if I were doing a crime towards an innocent woman. "There's not much time!" Unable to think of anything else, I pinned her towards the wall, placing her arm over my shoulder, I planted my lips on hers.

My eyes were closed so I could not see how she would react but I felt her relax and pull me closer, now with her hand on my neck. She kissed me back, probably deciphering that this was a plan that I concocted on a whim. My arm found its way to the back of her head, careful that it might hit the wall behind her. She has clutched onto the fabric of my shirt, and settled with her hand placed gently on my chest.

Light flashed towards us and we heard the officer apologize before running off. We knew then that we were safe but we didn't stop. I easily got addicted to her berry-flavored lips and marveled at how soft it was against mine. Unknowingly, my cap had already fallen off and Akiyama-san pulled at my hair tie. When we pulled away, we were at a loss for words, gazing into each other's eyes.

"K-_Kasuga-senpai_…?"


	6. Chapter 6

**It's been so long! It's nice to finally be back here. Once again I am so sooo sorry huhu life life lifeeee. On the bright side, I have prepared a 5,500++ words chapter for you! I was contemplating on whether or not I will start all over but I know I have to stay determined! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter before it gets to the big reveal! 3 And yup! They are kind of back together but what will they do if a certain someone is still in the way? Who even caused this mishap in the first place?**

* * *

**The Sixth Piece: Trust and Mischief**

**HIDEO'S POV**

"Is something the matter, love?" I asked with my arms firmly around her as her scent mixed with mine wafted into my nose. She wore my shirt as if it were her own with her back pressed against my chest. Her dress was folded neatly on my desk to make sure it didn't garner any creases and wrinkles that would arouse suspicion. My mind was going a little over the top with fantasies sprouting around from what I'd want to say was nowhere but her bare neck told me otherwise. The shirt was overly large but it only reached until her thighs. It was a night well-spent and I feel refreshed with her right beside me. We weren't called for work as it is agreed to be a day off today so we are permitted to get up late. It was quite early, still, but her phone was ringing nonstop as we cuddle each other on my bed. (And no, we did not do anything besides sleep and enjoy each other's presence.)

She turned to face me and her eyes gazed into mine before she reached out her hand and caressed my cheek tenderly. She shook her head, "It's just Ritsu. Why don't you get some more sleep?"

Silence filled the air before the phone went frisky once more. Seems like someone's on quite a rage. "Just answer it, love. There's nothing to be afraid of," I said reassuringly as I gave her a quick peck on her soft lips which I now have access to without any restrictions. It all happened so fast that I couldn't believe we're back to how it was without any further evidence. I did fall asleep quietly last night as her voice whispered the contents of her sweet letters that never reached me years ago. It was also warm despite the fact I didn't bother to grab a shirt for myself at all.

[Oi! Mio where are you?!] the text read as I peeked over her shoulder. It was sent over and over and I could say, that was quite the effort for little Ms. Forehead. Love then replied that she'll call back in an approximation of 5 minutes and 32.7 seconds. The brunette didn't reply back, plausibly respecting her best friend's wishes though she is evidently eager to hear from her.

"Tainaka-san grew up to become quite obedient, didn't she?" I said as I played with the hem of the shirt she was wearing, occasionally grazing her leg with my fingers.

"She's great and will never be worth replacing. That's why I love her as my dearest friend," she said as she shifted herself closer to me nuzzling her head on my neck. "And I love you, you perverted boy."

"I love you, too, you old pedophile woman. Is that last part even necessary, you could ha—" my voice turned into a muffled sound as she crashed her lips on mine, with her tongue exploring every nook and cranny of my mouth. The way she hovered on top of me was so much more suggestive than that of when she was drunk—not that I hated it of course. Based on her actions, I assumed it was alright for me to squeeze her leg, which I actually did and was tempted to move further.

She stopped and sat upright, and playfully raised an eyebrow, "Did that prove my point, Bakihiko-kun?" I felt myself heat up but I braced myself for more when she leaned over but utter disappointment filled me instead when she just did that to grab her phone. Gah! Akiyama Mio, I want and I need you so bad.

She went on and dialed up what I assumed was Tainaka-san's number and pressed it to her ear but jerked it away when a storm of words boomed over the phone's speaker. I propped myself up with a single elbow as I pulled her gently then all at once toward me so that our bodies were pressed against each other once more. Why? I was freezing to death and holding onto dear life.

She was able to suppress her voice at the sudden movement as she continued to listen to the brunette's never-ending rants. "Oi! Where the heck are you?! I've been looking for you since last night! Young lady, you've got some explaining to do! Yes, you told me you'd be discussing the storyboard with that piece of-Just where were you?! The poor boy named Shiki even came running to me thinking that you're cheating on him.. But er, are you guys even together? He does seem quite exaggerated as a good friend of yours. But hey! Where the heck did you go! I know it's impossible for you to spend a night at that friggin' guy with the red turned blonde hair"

She kept yapping and dilly dallying as my love patiently listened to her. I did cause her to blush as I moved my hand to her bare back and randomly stroking it ever-so slightly.

"Ritsu—Oi Ritsu. Just give me a minute to explain!"

"Explain what? I don't even know if I hit the mark or whatever—"

"Well, you see, um… I'm at—Oi!" she said the latter in a hushed shout as I managed to unclasp the hook of her undergarment that starts with a B and ends with an A. Her eyes and attention was now directed at me with a slight irritation evident on her voice. She covered her chest as she protected it with her arm.

"Love, I find it unfair that I'm bare-chested and you're not," I whispered as she mouthed, "Stop!" Lifting each one of her leg made me sigh as she went to standing up beside my bed, with her back facing me. I followed suit and just stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her small frame. Hn, seems like working out sure does pay off since she wouldn't be able to wriggle herself out of this.

"Oi Mio! You're at what? Did I just hear a guy's voice?"

"Ritsu, I'm at… hmm, a situation that you always find yourself in."

"In trouble?—"

"No way! Well, sort of, but not exactly."

"Nee Mio~ Won't you tell me? Aren't best friends supposed to be honest with each other? Hey! You even dodged my second question!"

"You promise you won't be mad?"

"I don't like the feeling of this but heck, fine then."

"I stayed the night at _his _place. Nothing happened! Um well, except, um…the usual and we're.." she turned her head to look into my eyes, as if trying to find the words to her answer.

"Oi! Oi! Wait, what?! Explain yourself, woman! Are you drunk? Are you out of your freakin' mind?"

"Ritsu, you know me. I won't make a huge decision without thinking it through. Besides, it seems we were all wrong after all," she smiled at me and I felt my heart flutter and beat triple-time. It has been long since I've felt this way. I planted a kiss on her forehead before we were met with a series of shouts once more.

"I-I know! But this is the Akihiko Hideo that we're talking about, right?"

My love gestured for me to move closer. She whispered a few things about messing with Tainaka-san and I proudly obliged. I did suppress a fit of laughs. This would definitely be fun.

* * *

**Mio's POV**

I never doubted a single bit that Hideo would like my plan. It just came to me all of a sudden since Ritsu's being overly dramatic at the moment. I thought, 'Hey? Why don't I put this into good use and lead her to coming over here so we can actually talk about it?"

"Hideo, please do enlighten me by making your presence known to her," I whispered. He nodded and a grin grew wide on his face. He seemed to like the sound of that. Knowing him and his ways—new and old—that I've come to accept, he'd gladly be up for it for a bit of mischief and an excuse to seduce me—Er, I mean show his affection for me in a way or so. (Not that I hate it, of course.)

"Hey, Love, can't you just converse with her later. We can't possibly stop if it's starting to get this steamy, can we?" he said in a suggestive manner which would be surprising if he said that a number of years ago. Throughout the years that I was not present, he surely had grown bolder and more aggressive in a way. He started kissing my cheek and it was loud enough to be heard over the phone. "I am starting to get hungry—Hungry for you, that is," he said and with anticipation, I knew that I'd be able to feel his overflowing affections that would be transmitted through the unspoken words in form of an infinite amount of lip-locking. Seven years is actually quite a number, isn't it?

Ritsu started ranting and the only thing I made sure to know of was if she was coming over here. I was drowning into the ocean of my dear, closing my eyes and inhaling his scent. My legs grew weak as he massaged my lips with his own. It wasn't harsh, rushed or rash. Instead, it was soft, warm yet electrifying. I felt my phone slip out of my hand and meet the ground with a soft thud. My hands were on his neck and his were on my waist.

Without putting our contact into a halt, he picked me up as if I were nothing but a feather. We found ourselves back on bed and it just went on like that. (I won't go into detail!)

As carried away as we were, I found it in me to stop. I gasped for air and our panting spread throughout the room. "Hi-Hideo, I'm sorry but I think we should stop for now. I… I might request for something even more if we don't, and I don't want that yet 'til Papa—Otou-san would formally give me away to someone who I can't see anyone else to be perfect for except for you."

I saw a tinge of pink on his face as he smiled and tucked my hair behind my ear. "I respect that, Love. And I won't go further until after we get to say our vows," I felt my chest heat up even more and I am aware that I was blushing madly, truly and greatly. He gave me one last peck before residing into the space beside me, with our hands still intertwined.

"I find it unfair that you're still in your bottoms while I'm—"

"While you're in your matching set of undies. How adorable must you be, Love?" he said with a slight laugh. That urged me to pull the covers over myself. Even if I wanted to use the same words he did a while ago, he managed to turn things around. He's the only one with the guts to do that—oh and Ritsu…

Wait! Ritsu! She did mention she'll be coming over ASAP. "C-crap!" I shouted without any second thoughts and pushed him away. He must be confused at my sudden actions but I mouthed "Baka! Ritsu's probably already here!" I crossed my arms over my chest, remembering how he managed to unclasp the hook of my bra. It makes me wonder how he did that without any difficulty. I could—I mean, I must and should ask him about that later

"Uh, er, so what do you want me to do?" he asked with a tinge of red on his face as he examined me from top to bottom. I must say, his arousal is quite too evident at this point.

"O-oi! Don't stare! Get dressed, Bakihiko!"

"Hm? But what if I…" he slowly pulled down his bottoms until it fell to the floor. I looked away, feeling my face flush. I didn't want to see that yet. I mean it's just his underwear and all that but it is detrimental to my ideal future. I know it's already the modern era but I'm not going to give it away just like that. Please. It loses the essence and symbolism, in my opinion.

"Go ahead and stare, my love. Nothing's stopping you."

"My pride is. GO! GET DRESSED!"

"My Love is so modest. A single peek won't hurt right? As I lay here, tempting you—But hey, you're right. At least let me do the hook for you."

I heard his steps toward me and embraced me from behind. "Hey, Love, I really missed you," he buried his face into my neck and I felt a smile creep up the corners of my mouth. The sincerity of his voice took my breath away. I took a deep breath and grabbed his right hand with my own as I tilted my head against his embrace.

"I can't stand waiting down here any longer!" the door was kicked down and what met us was a raging Ritsu whose face immediately fell at the sight of us. "Oh my frickin' gosh! My eyes! My eyes!" she shouted with a hand up her face, still with spaces in between, her eyes peeking so intensely. I was too lost in the moment to even process what was happening.

Hideo and I looked at each other, then back at Ritsu, both getting beet red, our mouths agape and words that never seemed to find its way out.

I never expected we'd get a sermon this long from Ritsu. Now she's just rambling on and on with Hideo and I fully dressed with our heads down low like little kids who broke a vase and was forced to admit it. We broke our own vase-the barrier that we put up just because of unreceived mails and a stupendous misunderstanding.

"What the heck were you guys doing? You said nothing happened. Is that what you call nothing?! I saw half of your arse, young man! And as for you you pedophile of a woman, you were just two steps ahead of him in wearing back your clothing, am I right? The heck?! Is it even legal to f-"

"Ritsu! Nothing really happened except for uh, er, this really feels like déjà vu. We just.."

"Made out, had a couple of steamy exchanges and undressed everything except our undies, no big deal," he said with a smirk. I still have to get used to this cheeky side of him. I could not fathom the change that much especially after reminiscing memories of our relationship back in High School.

"The last thing I'd want to hear from the both of you is that—"

"Yes, I do think we're back together. Well, technically we did call each other ex but we never officially broke up now, did we, Hideo-kun?" I cut her off, knowing what she was supposed to say.

"I guess there really is no stopping two lovebirds who are oh-so passionately in love. But how are you going to deal with Shiki? He was beating around the bush and chasing his own tail for Pete's sake," Ritsu said whilst shaking her head. She's one to talk. She has four boys under her sleeve. Does she even have the right to ask that? Yes, because she's my best friend. But if she were just a stranger to me then I'd already have returned the question to her without reflecting about my own actions in a minute and 27 seconds. "Whatever you do, Mio, don't let that Bakihiko touch these precious gems of yours!" she screamed and buried her face down my breasts and squished it from the sides. I had no second thoughts and slammed a fist across her head.

"Those are going to be mine eventually," Hideo said with a wink but I slapped his face. Now the upper hand is mine and these two should stop fighting over me like I'm a piece of object. It's nice to see that somehow, things have calmed down for the better. How should I deal with Shiki? I could not just possibly say, "I'm sorry but Hideo's back in my life, I don't need your pity any longer."

He was sweet and all that but there are times that I think he's actually hiding something. That's what kept me from agreeing to be his girlfriend. I just find his reserved and desperate self off. He's a good guy but too good to be real. Hideo was somehow like that before but he was also quite frank and he's an open book despite others telling me that he's too quiet and question me how I even survive our relationship.

Even with my hand imprinted on his face, he laughs and says, "Of course you'll be mine and I'll be yours to keep. I respect you and I love you, Love." He kissed my forehead and Ritsu sighed, shaking her head once again but nodded and shed a few tears in approval.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

A week or so has passed and I still can't believe we're back together. Yes, I have started to look at rings or so just because my mother told me to but it's too soon for that. I want to reestablish and strengthen our relationship a little further and of course we do want to resolve the Shiki thing. Love did her part of contacting him and asking if he has free time and he replied that he'd be free by the next Wednesday, which is tomorrow. Love doesn't seem all that nervous and we aren't that public yet but we caught each other sneaking glances and there are some spats between me and her but now t ends with a laugh and "I still couldn't believe that all we did was fight. I miss it somehow, but not really." In short, we don't really get that upset with each other just some occasional, "Baka! Focus on your job! The boom mic can be seen from your shots!"

"Can you help me a bit over here, I can't seem to see where it is. I'll get my eyes checked soon enough," I yelled back at her. She gladly obliged and headed over my way, taking over the camera. She tried moving it but can't. I put my hands over hers and guided it. "Should it be lower or should I pan left?"

"Pan a little bit to the left, yours is a tight shot."

"Is that so? I get it. You know what, I think you and I should have and ECU kind of shot."

The other camera man almost fell down the stool he was standing on, understanding that ECU meant extreme close up. He must have painted the image across his mind, huh?

Urgh, I can't handle these eyes looking at us. Well, I can't handle them because I can't make a move on Mio. She turns around, glares at me, flicks her finger across my head. "The heck was I doing wrong?!"

"Did you even listen while I gave out instructions?"

"What? When?"

"Just now, Bakihiko!" now that certainly made them look away. Good for me.

I couldn't help but smirk and say, "You look cute when you're mad."

"A-are you drunk?!"

I shook my head as I admired the way she's flushed. "Nope, are you?" I leaned over her ear, "Should we keep on hiding our love, my Love? The marks we left on each other are those that we did not conceal. Mind entertaining them with a bit of the truth?"

She looked over at them behind her shoulder, "Sir, I'm sorry but would it be okay if I get around 5-10 minutes to discuss some things with Hideo-kun all alone?"

* * *

**Normal POV**

All have complied and approved of the request of Mio. It might have been good to really call for a break now that everyone (especially Hideo) seemed out of their usual selves. Yes, they are a bit groggy and all but this break is like a dream. For two people, though, it seemed more of an opportunity to test their stealth and deduction skills.

"Hey, Pickle-juice, something's up. I could really feel it," said the film's main protagonist to his other half in the reel world. They may not be bigtime artists but people surely do ship them.

"What's up? The sky. The sky filled with stars for just me and you," she replied. ""Ugh umm err, I'm getting carried away by my role."

"Enough of that! Man, I think Hideo already scored!"

"W-wait, what?"

"Scored himself that woman! I mean, like don't you notice their eyes gazing at each other, their hands grazing as either one of them passes by—Don't you get the point? They love-hate each other!"

"If that happens then my sister's gonna be pissed. It doesn't seem like she cares nowadays, though. But honestly, it seems to me that they want to slit each other's throat and drench themselves with each other's blood."

"You talk kinda gory for a girl."

"Don't you dare say what a girl must and must not say."

"Bu-! Okay, fine. Just come with me and let's see what they're up to."

"If I go with you…"

"I'll give you whatever you want—except for actually going out, of course."

"_HA HA HA_! Who would even want to date you? I was going to ask for pickled cucumbers, if that's really unexpected," she replied though the glint in her eyes faded. At the very least, she's going to spend time with him. We don't have to look away from the brighter side of life.

The two made their way to the door sneakily, acting like little kids, acting like spies. The eyewitnesses of their feat shrugged it off, knowing these two might have hit their head somewhere. They succeeded into exiting the holding room. The lights flickered and they nodded, "Onward, Pickle-juice girl."

With front rolls, cartwheels and pickles, they were able to make their way in front of the studio door. They tried opening the door and even attempted to use hairpins for that matter. Secret agent codename Pickle Juice pushed the door ever so slightly and it opened.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot the door's like that. Come to think of it, it doesn't really come with a keyhole now."

"Still think they're up to something, they didn't even bother to lock the door."

"I bet you there's something, let's just go inside."

"Mio, the door just opened, nobody's there," Hideo said, jerking his head toward the door's direction. The color out of Mio's face drained.

"W-well we have just finished discussing that you better not get cocky anymore s-so we c-could p-probably go," she replied, trembling, pointing at another way out.

He leaned to whisper, "Still a scaredy-cat huh? Actually, the main stars of the film seemed to have decided that they would film an action movie rather than the one they're currently shooting."

"Where are they now?"

"Hiding behind the board but I could see their legs—Oh wait, they moved to inside the cabinet."

"Mind putting a show for them, dearest honorary member of the theatre club with the frilly little prince costume?"

"Don't mind if I do, my cold-hearted princess."

"Baka! So here's the plan…"

"I just love your creative juices, 'Light and Fluffy Time' composer."

"Can you see them, Taka?" she asked from inside the cabinet, peeping through the space in between.

"Well, yeah, you think I'm blind?"

"They haven't done anything yet. They're just talk—Oh mother of my father, I spoke too soon. Argh, I don't think I should be seeing this. Greek gods, that's too steamy for me."

"Shhh! Quiet, you!" Taka said in a hushed voice, watching intently. How couldn't he when a hot girl is aggressive? "I think I better start wearing neckties, don't you?"

* * *

**Mio's POV**

I yanked Hideo's necktie to pull him close enough leaving less than 2.54 centimeters just so that it would seem as if we were kissing. I had enough for a day and I would not want to be carried away by Bakihiko. I love him even though he turned into quite a piece of s- I'm sorry. I got used to being so mean to him these past few weeks that even the nastiest of nicknames would do but I would start refraining from that unless he sincerely enjoyed our 'friendly' banter at the store before. He did tell me that it was quite nice for a change. He need not have to worry if he wants to know how stupid the both of us were by not hearing each other out.

I left him in charge of letting out those erotic noises, he seems to be enjoying that kind of thing since last night-uhm, er... On the other hand it did not take more than 34 seconds for us to reach the cabinet and me pushing him towards the cabinet door for him to be capable of locking it shut and teaching those two a lesson of not eavesdropping.

"Ah.. Yes.. Mm.. Mio, fudge!" Hideo shouted louder and louder. Shi*.

"Baka! What if even those who are outside starts to judge us! Bakihiko!" I said in a hushed tone, pressing my finger on his lips before punching his abdomen. I walked a few steps away for distance and started searching the director's number from my contacts to tell him I've finished speaking with Hideo and if he decides to continue shooting right now, he would have to wait a handful of minutes (around 7 minutes, I presume) as we would need the said time to give a lengthy sermon to these two protagonists of the movie.

"What else do you suppose I would do?" he mouthed before he started nudging the cabinet slowly before pacing it up to hear shouts from the inside.

"They're so intense! Help!" said a high-pitched scream. As I talked to the director, I witnessed Hideo actually letting the cabinet fall on the floor before sitting on it. He knocked 2 times.

"Knock knock, kiddoes!" he said in a monotonous voice before winking at me and licking his lips. I quickly turned around as I felt the heat rising up to my cheeks. Kami-sama, the effect he had on me escalated after last night's turn of events.

"Who's there?" asked Taka and I could literally do a facepalm right then and there. Does he not know that they have been caught?

"Boo!"

"Boo who?"

"Well, I suppose I could say it's a boo hoo for the both of you. Oba-san here almost freaked when you left the door open. She's a scared little girl hiding in an older woman's delicious body."

"O-oi!" I shouted at him right after I hung up the phone after getting an approval from the director. He even wished me good luck.

"I'll close the door next time, Hii-kun! A-ah! We're caught!"

"Took you long enough, ba-ka!" I said walking towards their direction.

"Calm down, love. Save your anger for when we're actually alone."

"Great, Bakihiko, now how are we supposed to give them the talk if you keep interrupting with sexual remarks?!"

"Who said they were sexual? Does it turn you on, my Love? So much for wanting to wait."

"I-I... We're still too young and we aren't even married and u-uh, I... Baka Hideo!"

"Hm? Seems like someone here is quite embarrassed, huh, sweet cheeks?" he hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear, "Your place tonight? Or now since we don't have to worry about being seen?" This sent electricity running down my spine. He left trails of kisses down my neck before I got to jostle him. "Ack! That hurt too much!"

"Know your time and place, Bakihiko Hideo!"

"To the future Mrs. Bakihiko, is it wrong for me to get excited now that we're actually back together?"

"N-no! But still!"

"Uhm, I hate to interrupt but Pickle Juice girl over here needs her pickle fix! Please let us out! We won't judge or eavesdrop on you two lovebirds again!" a muffled voice said through the cabinet. I have forgotten in that short span of time that we were supposed to teach them a lesson.

I sighed. At least now I know that there is one thing we could never get back-Hideo's innocence.

* * *

**Hideo's POV**

Love asked me to "go do whatever you have to do, Bakihiko! I can do this alone. I would not want him to be triggered by your presence." ha ha. What am I supposed to do if I am worried about her and Shiki? I took a deep breath. I trust her. I trust her because I love her.

As I sat on a bench, I fiddled with my hair. Hm.. Funny how I even went on slicking my hair back and even dyeing it blonde earlier last year. At present, it's getting longer and I did not even bother to slick it back ever since that day when she was drunk. I see my red hair starting to grow back, too. In that same moment of looking back at the past, I was struck with an idea. I have to go to Daiki Damian's post office or Daiki Damian himself.

I ran to my car and shut the door. I have to face him. I dialed Tainaka-san's number and the moment she picked up, I asked for his contact details.

"Great, lover boy, you call me while I'm in the middle of a date and the first thing you ask me is Daiki's number and location. Don't you even have time to say hello or at least consider the fact that I ain't a map or a gps device?!"

"Relax, forehead and I doubt you're even on a date right now since you told us you're going to help Satoshi with his love life. Aren't you some kind of cupid, huh, fixing up relationships here and there. I'm desperate to find out what role he played in my and Mio's split. He must have some sort of explanation as to why I did not receive my letters."

"Ugh, fine. I'll text them to you."

"Thanks."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Uh, Forehead girl? Are you still there?"

"Akihiko Hideo... Are you listening?"

"Yes, why?"

"...whatever you do, promise me you'll never hurt her again. You broke it once. Don't commit the same mistake twice."

"Definitely, I won't hurt Love ever again, I promise you with all my heart, soul, mind- the whole me."

"You better keep that word you little sh*t. I ain't gonna tell you this if I hadn't even experienced it myself. I've committed the same mistake over and over and I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Heck, I can't even believe I keep trying to find me a man. You better not waste your chances, buddy. I had several opportunities to tell her I loved her-F*ck, I still love her but you... You were the one that gave her happiness and the love that she deserves. She ain't gonna find that in a b*tch like me who did nothing but stayed as a best friend and was not even completely present at the time when she was hurting during your split."

"Ritsu, are you crying?... I'm s-"

"Don't you dare say sorry, Akihiko Hideo. I deserve this. Her happiness comes first, my love comes second."

"Thank you, Tainaka Ritsu. Hey, you do know she also loves you, right?"

"Not in the way she loves you. But I'm happy that way. Thanks, Hideo. Get your freaking a** over there and allow me to have some alone time!"

"Heh, you were in a date, huh?"

"Screw you! Leave me be!"

I heard the dial tone and true enough, she gave me all the details that I need. It was quite a heavy discussion. I won't waste it. Clenching my fists on the steering wheel, I know I will get this solved once and for all and even the worst possible events won't hold me back.

I love you, Mio. And I will prove that I am worthy of you. I will make up to the seven years of hatred I have garnered out of my self pity.

* * *

**And there you have it! Looking forward to a brighter and happier 2017 with you! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! **

**Lots of love,**

**Erinette**


End file.
